


Every Day Just Feels a Little Longer

by GinnyK



Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [11]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Cute Kids, Gen, Medical Procedures, Old Friends, Team Feels, Team as Family, reference to SWAK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: It's the summer of 2020 (and in this universe, there is no COVID 19!!)  Tony and Tali come to DC to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.  But as usual, there's more to the story when it comes to Tony DiNozzo.
Series: Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1351900
Comments: 58
Kudos: 147





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Although this is not part of my Gibbs/Sloane series Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life, it lives in the same "universe" where the two of them are "more than friends/less than together".
> 
> This will also makes a few references to my very first NCIS story, A Man Learns Who is There for Him, which can also be found here on AO3.
> 
> The title of the story comes from a line in the song, When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, from the musical, Finding Neverland. It seemed appropriate as I've always felt Tony had a little Peter Pan quality to him.

Gibbs brushed Jack’s hair off her face and ran his hand over her cheek before sliding out of bed. It was still early, a little after 7 on the morning of July 5th. He was surprised he was up early; it had been a late night. The team had watched the fireworks on The National Mall and then Torres and Bishop came back for a drink and a fire in the back yard, which turned into way more than one drink, s’mores (where the ingredients for those came from were still a mystery to him) and an unexpected sleep over. Gibbs threw on a pair of shorts and crept quietly down the stairs, hoping beyond hope he wouldn’t walk in on a completely awkward situation. The guestroom bed was full of things which needed to go to Goodwill so Torres and Bishop had ended up crashing in the living room. He shouldn’t have worried. His guests were sound asleep, feet tangled up in the corner of the L shaped couch, the exact position he and Jack had slept in dozens of times.

With a smile on his face he headed for the kitchen to make coffee. Ten minutes later Bishop wandered in to find him sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee and the Sunday paper. 

“Morning boss,” she said as she ran a hand over her face before pulling her out of control hair back with a hair tie she had on her wrist. She was dressed in leggings and an oversized t-shirt Jack had given her to sleep in, one Gibbs recognized as his own.

“Morning, Ellie,” Gibbs said with a smile as he stood up. He steered her to a chair as he went to refill his mug. His use of her first name brought a smile to her face, as it always did. “Coffee?”

“Please,” she answered as she pulled out the lifestyle section, figuring she wouldn’t need to fight her boss for that part of the newspaper. Gibbs poured her a mug and set it in front of her before grabbing the milk and sugar off the counter. “Thanks,” Ellie smiled as she took the spoon her was holding out to her. “Jack still asleep?”

“Yeah,” he answered as he slid back into his chair and put on his glasses. He felt Ellie’s gaze on him. “You want to ask me something, Bishop?” he muttered, without looking up from the paper. He was trying his best not to let a little smile come across his face.

“Uh no, I mean yes, I mean it’s none of my business,” she stammered as she felt herself turn red. She picked up her coffee in an effort to hide her expression.

Gibbs set down the newspaper and pushed his glasses on top of his head. “That’s right, it’s none of your business,” he said. The effectiveness of his glare was marred by the slight twinkle in his blue eyes. “I know you talk to Jack, I’m not stupid.”

“Didn’t think you were. And I’m not looking for details,” Bishop answered as she stood up to grab two bananas out of the basket on the counter.

“Good, cause you’re not getting any,” Gibbs smirked. “It’s poorly defined and confusing at times but I’m happy, we’re happy.”

“That’s all I need to know,” Bishop answered with a smile as she put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. Gibbs patted her hand. On a whim, Ellie leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Sorry,” she muttered as she sat down quickly.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about Bishop,” Gibbs answered as he got up to grab the jar of peanut butter and a knife.

Jack and Torres wandered in ten minutes later and the four of them had a leisurely pancake and bacon breakfast made by Jack and Ellie.

**************

“That was surprisingly nice,” Gibbs said as he shut the front door after he and Jack had walked Nick and Ellie out to Nick’s car.

“It was and why do you say it was surprising? You love your team,” Jack pointed out as she reached to fold the blankets Nick and Ellie had used. 

“Cause it felt like, like….” Gibbs trailed off as he took the blankets and tossed them in the guest room.

“Like a double date?” Jack guessed as she leaned in the doorway.

“Something like that,” he muttered as he walked past Jack and headed to grab his cell which was ringing somewhere in the kitchen. He talked for less than a minute before grabbing his laptop off the ironing board.

“Everything okay?” Jack asked as she turned the water on to wash the dishes from breakfast.

“Yeah, Tony wants to Skype,” Gibbs explained as he poured the last bit of coffee into his mug and headed for the living room.

“Tell him I said hi,” Jack called over her shoulder.

********

“Hey, Boss,” Tony said as Gibbs face came into view.

“Not your boss, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said with a grin. It was the same way they started every conversation since the day Tony walked away from NCIS, hand in hand with Tali.

“You look tired, late night?” Tony asked as he leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk in his home office.

“Yeah DiNozzo, 4th of July or have you forgotten your American history living over there in Paris?” Gibbs teased.

“Nope, I remember. Wait did you actually celebrate the 4th? You never do that,” Tony said, both surprised and pleased that his former boss seemed to have finally gotten something that resembled a social life.

“I did,” Gibbs answered with a grin. “Fireworks on the Mall, then drinks in the backyard. Oh and s’mores,” he added, waiting for the inevitable teasing.

“What?” Tony snorted. “S’mores? Who the hell are you and what have you done with Leroy Jethro Gibbs?”

“Jack and I went to the fireworks with the team. The McGee and Palmer families took their kids home after and Nick and Ellie came back here with us. We had way too many drinks and they ended up staying over.”

“So, you had a sleep over?” Tony teased.

“Something like that. Honestly, it was nice.” Gibbs said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. He took a sip of his coffee, while Tony took a drink of the bottle of water he had in his hand.

Both were quiet for a few minutes.

“Tony?” Gibbs said. He knew his former SFA well enough to know he had something to talk about. “What’s up?”

“You busy the week after next?” Tony asked vaguely.

“Working, why?”

“Tali and I are coming to DC for a visit,” Tony explained.

“Not Ziva, everything okay?”

“Ziva’s fine. She’s just busy with work. Tali’s been asking to visit Uncle Gibbs. She hears me talk about DC and she’s curious about my life before Paris.”

“While I’m sure that’s all true, cut the crap DiNozzo. You look worse than I do,” Gibbs pointed out as he took a really good look at Tony. He’d lost some weight since their last Skype call a few weeks earlier. Behind Tony’s glasses, he could see the dark circles under his eyes, ones Gibbs hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Been having some issues,” Tony replied vaguely as he waved his hands about a little, as he was known to do when he was stalling or trying to be vague. Gibbs just raised his eyebrows and motioned with his coffee mug for Tony be a little less vague. “Uh, some lung and breathing issues. Seen a few doctors here but honestly, I feel more comfortable seeing the not so famous Dr. Brad Pitt. We’ve been talking over the past few weeks and I think I coming to DC is the best thing. And seeing everyone will be a nice perk. Hey, I finally get to meet Jack in person.”

“She’ll be thrilled,” Gibbs laughed. “You two want to stay here when you come?”

“You sure that’s not too much of a bother?”

“Not at all,” Gibbs assured him.

“Okay,” Tony agreed as he heard a little “Daddy” coming from the hallway. “Come on in sweetheart,” he said as he moved the laptop from where it had been balanced on his knees. Tali climbed in his lap and kissed his cheek.

“Hey Uncle Gibbs,” Tali said, waving at the laptop.

“Hey honey,” Gibbs said with a big grin. “Jack, come say hi,” he called over his shoulder.

“Hey Tony, hey Tali,” Jack said, giving a little wave of her own.

“Hey Tali, how about we go visit Jack and Uncle Gibbs soon?”

“On a plane?” she asked excitedly.

“Yep, on a plane. How about you wave goodbye and go see if you can help Ima with dinner.”

“Bye, see you soon,” Tali said, blowing a few kisses and sliding off Tony’s lap.

Gibbs and Jack waved back at the little girl.

“Tony everything okay?” Jack asked, taking in his appearance.

“Jethro will fill you in,” Tony replied vaguely. Jack just nodded and gave a little wave as she left the room.

Gibbs and Tony talked for a few more minutes. Tony promised to send him their flight information as soon as he had it.


	2. Chapter 2

Five days later Gibbs stood in the waiting area of the International Arrivals Terminal at Dulles, waiting for Tony and Tali’s flight from Paris. It had already been delayed over two hours and he was on his third cup of coffee. He’d read a few chapters in his book, talked to Phineas on the phone and paced around a little. Jack had planned on coming to the airport with him but at the last minute she’d been called by Vance to help him out with a case. So he left the team to handle things on their own for a few hours on a Summer Friday.

Finally people started streaming towards Gibbs, weary travelers, grumbling about the delay. He stepped out of the way, figuring Tony and Tali would not be some of the first people off the plane.

He was right. Tony and Tali were two of the last people coming towards him, right in front of the flight crew.

“Uncle Gibbs,” Tali called as she pulled her hand away from Tony’s and ran the final 10 yards towards Gibbs. He scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The fact that they hadn’t seen each other in person in 4 years and she’d was only 2 when she met him didn’t seem to matter to the curly haired little girl. He loved that the name she chose to call him was the same one Emily Fornell used.

“Hey Jethro,” Tony said as he took a tentative step towards his former boss and forever mentor. Gibbs closed the foot or so between them and pulled him into a hug.

“Hey Tony, good to see you,” Gibbs said as he let go of his former SFA. He was still holding Tali, who had a stuffed dog in one hand and her pink flowered backpack hanging from the other. 

“Tali, I think you can walk,” Tony said as he threaded his left arm through his own backpack which was precariously hanging from his right shoulder.

“She’s fine, Tony,” Gibbs assured him. Tony reached for the pink backpack and held it up so she could slip it on before the trio made their way to baggage claim.

Twenty minutes later they headed out into the hot, muggy DC evening, Tony dragging their suitcase, Gibbs leading Tali by the hand. They tossed the luggage into Gibbs’ car, got Tali buckled into the booster seat Jack had picked up for her and pulled out of the parking garage.

By the time Gibbs pulled the car onto the Beltway, both his passengers were sound asleep. It was just after 6:00 DC time, midnight in Paris. 

Tony woke up as Gibbs turned onto his quiet street. He glanced over his shoulder to check on Tali. She was still asleep, leaning against the window, dog clutched to her chest, mouth slightly open.

Jack was sitting on the porch steps when they pulled into the driveway. Tony just glanced towards Gibbs and smirked, Gibb ignored him. Jack broke out into a large smile and headed down the walk to greet them. Tali had woken up when Gibbs made the sharp turn into the driveway. She was a little confused about where she was and Tony quickly got out of the car and picked her up, assuring her she was okay.

“Jack,” Tali said as she pushed back her curls and got a good look at the blond woman walking towards her.

“Hey sweetie,” Jack said. Like Gibbs she was a little surprised at how comfortable Tali seemed to be. Jack gave the little girl a quick kiss on the cheek before Tony set her down. “Tony, I am so happy to finally meet you,” Jack said as Tony wrapped up in a huge hug, lifting her a few inches off the ground with a laugh. Like his daughter he was completely comfortable with someone he’d only ever met over Skype, text message and an occasional phone call.

“Think we could actually take this party inside?” Gibbs asked in mock exasperation. He had grabbed the suitcase and was standing there waiting for the others to get out of his way and head inside.

The foursome made their way inside, just dropping everything in the foyer for the time being.

“Something smells amazing,” Tony said as he steered Tali into the living room.

“Macaroni and cheese. I had no idea what Tali liked and I figured that was a safe bet.”

“More than a safe bet, it’s one of her favorite things,” Tony answered as he took a look around the room, one where he’d spent a lot of time for well over a decade. It was more or less the same but there were a few changes, including a very welcome change of an actual TV in the corner. It was nothing fancy or large but there was a DVD player underneath and a cable box on top. There were a few touches which were likely the work of Jack, some decorative pillows on the couch, a few new pictures on the walls and mantle. On the coffee table was Gibbs’ laptop.

“Trying to figure out what’s new?” Gibbs teased as he walked behind Tony, reaching out to slap the back of his head on the way to the kitchen. Tony just smiled at the gesture as he smoothed his hair back down.

“Tali, want to help me in the kitchen?” Jack asked as she held her hand out to the little girl.

“Sure,” Tali ginned as she took Jack’s hand.

“Wash your hands first,” Tony called at the retreating pair.

“You and Tali can take the bedrooms upstairs. I redid Kelly’s room a bit when Finn was spending time here, should be fine for her. You can take my room so you’re close to her,” Gibbs said as grabbed the suitcase.

“You sure, you don’t need to be sleeping on the couch,” Tony said as he picked up his backpack.

“I’m fine on the couch and I can always sleep in the guestroom,” Gibbs assured him. Jack had dropped off the bags for Goodwill earlier in the week. They took the bags upstairs and dropped them in the master bedroom. Tony smiled quietly at the changes he saw, both in the rooms and in the general demeanor of his friend. Gibbs left him to look around while he went to use the bathroom.

************

Tali almost made it through dinner before all but falling asleep at the table. Tony carried her upstairs, got her changed and tucked into the twin bed with her dog in her arms, a cup of water on the nightstand and a kiss to her forehead. He changed into shorts and a t-shirt before heading downstairs.

“She asleep?” Jack asked as she held out of cup of coffee for him when he returned to the kitchen.

“Yep, out like a light.” Tony sighed as he took the first sip of coffee. For as good as the coffee in Paris was, he missed Gibbs simple, overly strong brew.

The 3 took their coffee out to the back deck to enjoy the warm night. Gibbs stretched out on a lounger, ice pack on his knee. Tony and Jack sat the table. By 10:30, Gibbs was snoring softly. Jack got up and took the mug out of his grasp before it fell to the deck. Tony was smiling at her when she sat back down.

“How’s he doing, really?” Tony asked as he hitched his thumb towards Gibbs.

“He’s doing well for the most part. Has his moments but then again he always has. I assume you know about the meds,” Jack said. Tony just nodded. “He’s doing well on them. We’re working on keeping regular hours and sleeping more than 5 hours a night. Still eats way too much red meat and way too little vegetable matter when left to his own devices but we’re working on that. Still has problems with his knees. The other one needs to be replaced but he’s just stubborn. The replaced one still swells and well, he spends many a night with at least one ice pack.”

“Ice pack and Bourbon?” Tony asked.

“He’s cut back. After he killed Sahar he realized how easy it would be to just drown himself in liquor every night. I think it scared him,” Jack explained. “You want more coffee?”

“No, bottle of water would be great though,” Tony said as he started to stand up. Jack waved him down.

“He says he sees Grace regularly,” Tony said when Jack returned with two bottles of water.

“I don’t know about regularly, but he does see her. And he does actually talk. We’re still walking a tightrope when it comes to some subjects. I have no desire to be his therapist and he knows that,” Jack explained.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this,” Tony said with a grin. “I mean, he looks like Gibbs, well maybe a little better dressed, sounds the same but things are so, so different. Don’t get me wrong I like what I see. Proud of him if that makes sense. “

“It does make sense. And I think it would mean the world to him to hear that from you. And I, of course, feel the same way.”

“You’re good for him. You take care of his heart,” Tony said, patting her hand as he repeated the words Ziva had said to her before she left NCIS the final time.

“We take care of each other’s hearts,” Jack corrected with a smile as she glanced over at the man currently stirring on the lounger.

Tony finished his bottle of water with a huge yawn. “Well, it quarter past the middle of the night for me,” he said as he stood up and stretched. “Goodnight Jack,” he said with a quick kiss to the top of her blond head.

“Night Tony, sleep well.”

Jack walked over to the lounger where Gibbs was now half awake. He scooted over a few inches, giving her room to perch next to him. She rubbed his back a little.

“Have a nice chat?” Gibbs asked as he pulled his arm out from under him and set it on Jack’s knee.

“We did, not a long one but a nice few minutes. How much did you hear?” she asked curiously. Not that she would have minded if he’d heard the whole conversation.

“None, I woke up as Tony kissed the top of your head. You ready to go in?” he asked as he motioned for her to move so he could get up.

They made their way inside and were asleep within 20 minutes, in the guestroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the kudos and comments on the brief introductory chapter.
> 
> This is one of those stories that seems to have taken on a life of its own. I had a vague idea and the next thing I knew I had 12 pages. I'm rewatching the series from the beginning (somewhere in season 4 right now) and I realize how much I miss Tony. I however do not miss Ziva and for that reason I left her in Paris.


	3. Chapter 3

A little after 6 the next morning, Gibbs woke up to the sound of little feet on the stairs. He crawled out of bed and went to check on Tali.

“Morning sweetie,” he said when he walked into the kitchen to find the little curly haired girl peeking in his fridge.

“Thirsty?” Gibbs asked. Tali just nodded and he pointed out to the package of juice boxes on the bottom shelf of the door. She grabbed one and expertly opened the straw and stuck it in the little hole, all without spilling a drop. She climbed into a kitchen chair, kneeling on it. Her ever present dog and a book were set on the table. “Watcha reading?” Gibbs asked as he measured the coffee and poured in the water. He took his Lexapro and a vitamin with a handful of water. 

“One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. In English,” she clarified. “Ima is teaching me Hebrew and Daddy is trying to teach me Italian but I don’t think he’s all that good.”

Gibbs just chuckled a little. “What about at school?” he asked as he held up a box of donuts.

“Yes, please,” Tali answered politely. “We do half in English and half in French at school. My French is better than Daddy’s,” she declared.

“I’m sure it is,” Gibbs smiled as he handed her two mini powdered donuts and a napkin. “You wanna read to me?” asked, motioning towards the book.

“Okay,” Tali answered as she wiped her hands and opened up her book.

Tony walked down the stairs and was able to watch the pair for a few minutes before his coughing gave him away. He so wished he’d had his phone with him. A picture of his 6 year old daughter reading Dr. Seuss to Gibbs would have brought a huge smile to Ziva’s face.

“Morning Tali,” he said as he entered the room. He pressed a quick kiss to her curls and went to the kitchen to grab some coffee. 

“Hi, Daddy. I read my book to Uncle Gibbs,” she announced proudly as she closed the book and moved it aside, reaching for her juice box and the remaining half a donut.

“How about something other than sugar for breakfast,” Tony suggested over his shoulder as he reached for a box of Cheerios on the top of the fridge.

“Okay,” Tali answered. “Uncle Gibbs, do you have any crayons?”

“Uh, crayons, I don’t think so,” he answered.

“He doesn’t have crayons but I know where you can find some,” Jack announced as she came into the room, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Run up to the bedroom you slept in. On the window seat is a bag of stuff you might like,” Jack explained as she gave Gibbs a quick peck on the cheek as she headed for the coffee.

“Okay,” Tali answered as she slid off the chair and ran upstairs.

“Thank you,” Tony said with a smile as he poured a bowl of cereal for Tali and one for himself.

“We want her to feel comfortable. And speaking of comfort, are you still up for having people over later for a cookout?” Jack asked as she stirred her coffee.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Look, I came here to see Brad and to deal with some medical issues, but I fully intend on enjoying myself. And Tali has plenty of “cousins” to meet,” Tony pointed out using the appropriate air quotes around cousins.

“Okay, we told people about 3:00,” Jack explained. Tony nodded in agreement. “You want something more substantial for breakfast?” she asked, pointing at his bowl of cereal.

“Nope, we’re good.”

“Daddy look what Jack got me,” Tali said as she flew back into the room, gift bag in her hand. She unpacked the bag, setting out some crayons, coloring books, stickers, sidewalk chalk and a little Lego set.

“Tali, do you have something to say to Jack?” Tony, giving her a little hint to remind her to use her manners.

“Thanks Jack,” she said as she leaned over and gave Jack a quick hug.

They finished their breakfast and then went to get ready for the day.

**********

By 2:45, Tali was bouncing off the walls with excitement. She was running around the backyard dressed in the bathing suit and matching pink cover up Jack had run to the store to pick up for her that morning after a call from Jimmy saying he was bringing a Slip n Slide for the kids to play with. All Tali knew was that other kids were coming over and she was going to have some playmates, ones she had only seen on the screen of her Daddy’s laptop.

Victoria Palmer had been there all of 5 minutes before the two little girls were drawing on the patio with sidewalk chalk, while Jimmy and Tony set up the Slip n Slide for them. Within a few minutes the twosome became a foursome with the arrival of Johnny and Morgan. All of them got along as if they saw each other every day, as opposed to having just met in person. All four kids playing well together would give their parents, and the other assorted adults, time to visit in peace.

Nick and Ellie arrived together, a fact which did not get past Gibbs or Jack. Tony all but lifted Ellie up off the ground when he gave her a big hug. Ellie introduced him to Nick, although the two men already felt like they knew each other. Kasie arrived bearing a giant fruit salad and bubbles for the kids.

Ducky had been the last one to arrive and as he walked out the back door to the deck Victoria and the twins ran towards him, each one wanting to be the first to greet him With a little shrug of her shoulders, Tali joined her new friends in hugging the older man. Ducky greeted them all individually, kissing the tops of their heads. When he was able to untangle himself from the mass of little arms and legs, he walked over to where Tony was more or less patiently waiting to say hi.

“Anthony, my dear boy, how are you?” Ducky said reflexively. Tony had not told him any of what had been going on, what had actually prompted the trip to DC. That was a conversation for later.

“Ducky, so good to see you,” Tony said, leaning over to hug the good doctor, and effectively ignoring his question.

Ducky took a step back and gave him a quick but thorough once over. “Do we need to talk later,” he said, knowing instantly something wasn’t quite right. Tony just nodded.

“Okay then, someone get me a drink,” Ducky declared as he took a seat at the table. Jimmy grabbed him a beer and set it on table for him.

**************

The afternoon was basically perfection. There were blue skies and a lovely breeze. Kids running around having a grand old time, plenty of food and drinks, old friends catching up and new ones getting to know each other. Gibbs and Jack thoroughly enjoying playing hosts to their friends. 

The kids spent a good deal of time trying to get an adult, any adult, to try out the Slip n Slide. Finally, Ellie gave in after Jack assured her she has some dry clothes she could borrow, if needed. Ellie took a running start and slid the entire length, almost flying off the far end, all the while with Nick cheering her on.

Gibbs got Ellie a towel and she just sat in the sun to dry off. The kids gathered around her with ice pops and watermelon. After both of those treats, the parents sent them back to the slide to clean off a little.

As the sun was starting to drop lower in the sky the kids went inside to warm up and change into their pajamas. Tony set them up with a movie in the living room before going out to the front porch to answer a call from Ziva. As he came back in the house he ran into Ducky who was putting a few things away in the kitchen.

“Anthony,” Ducky said with a little dip of his chin.

Tony grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and hopped up to sit on the counter as he’d done so many times in the previous 2 decades. “Ask away,” he said simply as he tossed the cap to the water bottle across the kitchen, managing to get it into the trash can.

“I take it there is another reason for your visit, other than to catch up with old friends. Not that you need another reason to come visit us,” Ducky said with a little chuckle. Tony just nodded. “I see.”

“Did Gibbs say something?” Tony asked.

“No, Jethro did not say anything. The dark circles under your eyes, the coughing, the way you were quickly out of breath running around with the children earlier that gave it away. Going to be seeing the good Dr. Pitt while you’re here?”

“Yeah, Monday morning. Been having trouble with everything you just mentioned, pretty much. I’ve always had some issues since the plague but basically, I’ve done well with Advair regularly and steroids if I get sick. In the last few months things have gotten a bit rough. Using the rescue inhaler more, no energy, cranky if you ask Ziva. And coughing, which had been merely annoying has moved on to getting in the way of my everyday life. Doing the consulting I do gives me some flexibility to work around how I’m feeling. Thankfully I don’t have to work fulltime. I was able to take the early retirement from NCIS when I left DC, the package they had offered me when I first had the plague. Anyway, I’ve seen a couple of doctors in Paris but I’m just more comfortable with Brad, if that makes any sense.” Tony’s voice trailed off at the end as he coughed a few times. He was able to control it with a drink of water and a few deep breaths.

“It makes perfect sense. Any idea what tests Dr. Pitt plans on running?” Ducky asked.

“I don’t know, but I doubt they’ll be pleasant,” Tony mused.

“Some should be fine, others probably not so much,” Ducky chuckled. “Can I ask if everything is alright at home?”

“Sure. Things are fine. Ziva’s busy with work that’s why she didn’t come. She also wouldn’t have felt quite so comfortable around everyone. We just thought it would be better for everyone. I also didn’t need her hovering around my appointments. I’m sure I’ll have enough hovering from you and Gibbs,” Tony grinned.

“That you will my dear boy,” Ducky said with a grin of his own. 

  
“Daddy,” Tali called from the living room. Tony slid off the counter and headed to check on the kids. 

“What’s up?” Tony asked as he perched on the arm of the couch. Tali and Morgan were on one part of the couch, Johnny and Victoria on the other.

“Can we have a snack?” she asked.

“How can any of you be hungry?” Tony teased. Four sets of little shoulders just shrugged in response. “I’ll get something.”

Tony brought back some fruit salad in little cups and some pretzels for the kids, figuring they all had eaten quite enough sugar for the day. He got them settled again and went back out to the deck to see what the adults were up to.

By the time 10:00 rolled around, all the kids were sound asleep on the couch, Tony and Gibbs were not far behind on the twin lounge chairs on the deck. Ducky had already headed for home an hour or so earlier. The rest were spread out over the deck and in the case of Jack, Kasie and Ellie stretched out on a blanket in the grass. The deck was littered with empty beer and wine bottles, assorted juice boxes and random toys, all evidence of the enjoyable day they’d spent together.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony struggled to open his eyes as the bright sun streamed in the bedroom window. He stretched and his left arm landed on something considerably harder than the other pillow on the bed. Sometime during the night Tali had wandered across the hall and climbed into bed with him. She had come prepared, she had her dog on the pillow next to her and her cup of water on the nightstand. Tony fingered an errant curl before pulling the sheet up over her and crawling out of bed. It was early, a little before 6:00, but his body was still struggling to get acclimated to east coast time. He used the bathroom, took his meds and carefully crept down the stairs, remembering they tended to creak loudly and he didn’t want to wake Gibbs up. Jack had headed home after helping clean up from the cookout. She had plans with friends for Sunday and she also wanted to give Gibbs and Tony time to catch up.

As Tony hit the landing he glanced towards the living room. Not surprisingly, Gibbs was asleep on the couch. Tony headed for the kitchen and started the coffee. As the coffee maker gurgled to life he opened the pantry cabinet to check out the options for breakfast. He pulled out a box of pancake mix, chuckling at the bags of quinoa and brown rice next to the box of donuts and package of Oreos. Seemed like Jack really was trying to change some of his eating habits. Good luck with that, Tony thought to himself as he closed the door with his hip. He found a package of bacon in the fridge and got to work, figuring neither Gibbs nor Tali were likely to sleep late.

The smell of coffee and bacon had Gibbs up by 6:15, his normal time. “Morning Jethro,” Tony said, biting back the familiar urge to address the older man as “boss”.

“Tony. Raiding my pantry and fridge?” he smirked as he reached for a mug to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“Yep, you have a problem with it,” Tony asked as he turned the flame on under the griddle. 

“Didn’t say that,” Gibbs muttered as he reached for his pills. He swallowed them with a handful of water, as he did every morning. “What do you feel like doing today, cause quite frankly you look like crap, DiNozzo.”

“I see you haven’t resorted to being tactful in your old age,” Tony snorted. “And yeah, I’m a bit tired this morning,” he said, his admission punctuated by a couple of coughs. “How about we just play it by ear.”

“Works for me, I have no plans. By the way, I will be going with you to see Brad tomorrow,” Gibbs said as he glanced out the back window. 

“I do not need a babysitter,” Tony groaned as he flipped the bacon.

“Friend, not a babysitter. And Jack can watch Tali.”

“Doesn’t she have like a job to do?” Tony asked, gesturing towards the older man with the spatula. 

“She does but will try to take the day off. If she needs to go in, I’m sure Tali can entertain herself in her office for a little while,” Gibbs explained as he reached to get out the plates and silverware to set the table.

“Any other plans I should know about?” Tony asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“Well, you know Ducky will go with you for whatever tests Brad decides to run, that’s a given. I gave Tim the day off on Wednesday, figured you two could so something with the kids,” Gibbs replied with a smile.

Tony thought about complaining, but honestly, spending a day with Tim and the twins sounded pretty good to him and he knew Tali would love to see her new friends again. “Sounds perfect, thanks for everything,” he said sincerely and with just a bit more emotion than he had planned. He quickly turned back to the pancakes which were ready to flip.

“It’s what friends do for each other, Tony,” Gibbs said quietly.

Before things got any more emotional and awkward, they heard little feet coming down the stairs. Tali appeared, curls out of control, clutching her dog and wiping the sleep from her eyes. 

“Pancakes?” she asked she padded into the kitchen.

“And bacon,” Tony clarified as he leaned over. Tali kissed his cheek and moved to stand next to Gibbs, waiting for him to lean over so she could do that same to him. “Tali do you want milk with your pancakes?”

“Chocolate milk,” she declared as she climbed on the nearest chair.

“I don’t think Uncle Gibbs has chocolate syrup,” Tony said as he piled the pancakes on a plate and set the steaming stack on the table.

“Don’t worry, I have chocolate syrup,” Gibbs assured her as he opened the fridge to grab the Hershey’s bottle and the carton of milk.

“Why in the world do you have that?” Tony asked, motioning towards the bottle in his hand.

“Let over from Phineas, it’s still good,” he declared after grabbing his glasses off the counter and checking the date. 

Tony just smiled. He would have loved to have seen Finn and Gibbs interact with each other. Just watching how Gibbs whole demeanor changed when he talked about the boy brought about a smile from Tony.

They trio ate all the pancakes and most of the bacon. While the guys cleaned up, Tali read Green Eggs and Ham to them.

After the kitchen was cleaned up they had a lively discussion about what to do, or more precisely Tali was having a lively discussion about which one of her new friends she wanted to play with that day. She rattled off all of their names, not really seeming to care who she got to see. Tony managed to distract her for a while with a bath and then the coloring books Jack had picked up for her.

Gibbs set out doing the normal Sunday chores, the laundry and making a shopping list for the food store.

A call from Jimmy a little after 9:00 settled what Tali would be doing for the day. Apparently Victoria had been up for hours, chatting on and on about her new “best friend”. Jimmy invited Tali to spend the day with them. Victoria wanted to ride the carousel on The Mall and visit the Museum of Natural History where she wanted to introduce Tali to the elephant in the main lobby.

After a shower and the nebulizer, Tony was feeling a little better. The 3 hopped on the Metro and headed to meet the Palmer family at the carousel. Tony and Gibbs watched the girls ride a few times and then left to take a walk on their own. With a glance over his shoulder as he turned towards the Capitol, Tony saw Tali and Victoria running hand in hand across the wide expanse of the National Mall. He took a quick picture with his phone and sent it to Ziva.

“You sure you’re up for a walk?” Gibbs asked as Tony ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

“I’m good for now,” Tony assured him. They headed in the general direction of the US Capitol without a firm destination in mind. Wandering around aimlessly wasn’t the worst way to spend a few hours. Tony missed DC more than he would ever admit, even to himself.

The pair eventually ended up at Union Station, hungry for lunch and in the case of Tony, in need of a break.

“So, you talk to Ducky yesterday?” Gibbs asked as he picked up the menu. They’d considered maybe trying to find somewhere a relatively healthy menu, but as they were without supervision, they ended up at Johnny Rockets.

“Yeah, he caught me in the kitchen. We talked in general, nothing really specific. I’m sure that conversation will come after I see Brad tomorrow.”

“He asked me if I thought anything was wrong at home, between you and Ziva,” Gibbs said as the waitress set their drinks down in front of them. 

“Asked me the same thing. Do you think it’s odd she didn’t come with us?”

“Not really, you said she’s busy with work. Is there more to it?” Gibbs asked as he rolled the straw paper between his thumb and forefinger.

Tony dumped two sugars in his iced tea and stirred it, stalling for time. “It’s a little complicated,” he said vaguely.

“Your life’s always been complicated DiNozzo,” Gibbs snorted. “Does it have something to do with Jack?”

“Whoa, you are getting a little perceptive in your old age Boss,” Tony smirked. Gibbs gave a little glare for him to start talking. “I suppose on some level her decision, our decision, had something to do with Jack, Ziva and the rocky start they got off to months ago. And to be honest when you offered to have us stay with you, I knew Ziva would never consider coming.”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Gibbs said quietly as the waiter set down their burgers in front of them and a plate of fries and onion rings in the middle of the table. 

“What happened to Rule #6?”

“An apology sneaks out every once in a while,” Gibbs muttered with a shrug of his shoulders. He reached for the bottle of ketchup and squirted some on the fries. 

“Believe me, I understand where Jack was coming from. We talked, or texted to be more precise, after Sahar’s death. Ziva blew back into NCIS like a hurricane, unfortunately leaving destruction in her wake. Jack told me she felt left out and honestly, a jealous of the relationship you have with Ziva. She felt as if you just blindly followed her which led you right into to danger. I know Jack wasn’t proud of how she felt. Did she tell you any of this?” Tony asked, curiously.

“Some, in vague terms. I know she was “jealous”. Something I don’t exactly understand, I mean the relationship I have with Ziva is nothing like what I have with Jack.”

“I would hope not,” Tony snorted. Gibbs chuckled as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Anyway, I wasn’t exactly very pleasant to be around in the days after I killed Sahar. Not very pleasant was an understatement, I’m sure. I didn’t really let Jack talk too much. But for some reason she put up with me.”

“Yeah and sometime soon we will talk about how and why Jack just puts up with your functionally mute, emotionally constipated self,” Tony snorted as he reached for an onion ring. Gibbs just gave a little ineffective glare. “To be honest I didn’t want to have to worry about how Ziva was doing while I was trying to catch up with my old friends. Make sense?”

“It does, although it would have been nice to see her again.”

“You can always come to Paris for a visit,” Tony pointed out. It was a statement he made pretty much mentioned on a monthly basis. 

“Someday,” Gibbs said with a smile. It was a promise he intended to keep, someday.

After lunch they checked in with Jimmy. The girls were having a blast and they were just about to have a late lunch. He offered to drop Tali off in time for dinner. 

“Want to stop by the Navy Yard?” Gibbs teased.

“Nope,” Tony answered after actually considering it for a few seconds. Too many memories he didn’t need flooding to the surface. Besides, he was pretty sure he would be visiting the Navy Yard in the next few days. Tali asked 4 times on the flight across the Atlantic if she was going to see NCIS, although she usually reversed a few letters. 

Tony and Gibbs eventually hopped on the Metro and headed back the house. By that time, Tony was ready for a nap. Gibbs grabbed the shopping list and headed to the food store, leaving Tony on the couch, enjoying his “real” television.

***************

Tony started stirring when Gibbs brought in the groceries. He made himself useful helping to put things away.

“Steak and potatoes for dinner?” Gibbs asked as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Tony turned down the offer of a beer, grabbing a can of Coke instead.

“Sure, Tali loves steak and potatoes.”

“You raised her well, DiNozzo,” Gibbs said with a smile. He set about seasoning the steaks while Tony cut some potatoes and onions. 

Jimmy dropped Tali off a little after 5:00. He carried her into the house and set her down on the couch as both she and Victoria had fallen asleep on the ride back from the city.

Tony went to call Ziva while Gibbs went outside with his beer to start the grill. Tali was stirring on the couch so Tony took a seat on the coffee table while he talked to Ziva. 

“Ima,” Tali whispered as she sat up.

“Yep, you want to talk to her?” Tony asked. Tali snatched the phone from him and started to tell Ziva in great detail about her day with her new friend. Tony chuckled as he ruffled her curls and headed outside.

“Tali, still sleeping?” Gibbs asked.

“No, she’s on the phone with Ziva.”

Tali wandered out a few minutes later, excited to tell Uncle Gibbs about her day.

***********

By 9:00 Tali was sound asleep on a lounge chair. She had a small smear of marshmallow and chocolate on her face from the s’mores she and Gibbs had made for dessert. 

“You want another beer?” Tony asked as he got up to clear away some of the dishes.

“Nah, but feel free to grab the bourbon off the top of the fridge,” he called over his shoulder from where he was leaning over to turn off the propane tank to the grill.

Tony put the dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs to grab his inhaler and a blanket to toss over Tali. On the way back out her grabbed a couple of glasses and the bottle from the top of the fridge.

*************

Somewhere around 11:00, and in the case of Tony, a drink or two past sober, Gibbs stood up from where he’d been laying on the other lounger. He stretched a little while Tony pushed himself to his feet and gathered the glasses and the now empty bottle. Gibbs scooped Tali up and carried her up to bed, tucking her in with a kiss to her forehead. A sudden flood of memories came over him as he turned out the light and glanced at the sleeping child once more. He brushed them aside with practiced ease. He changed into pajamas and brushed his teeth before heading back downstairs to check on Tony. He found him sitting on the couch with a bottle of water. 

“Advil?” Gibbs asked as he headed for the kitchen.

“Already took some,” Tony answered.

“Good, finish the water and get some sleep. What time is your appointment?”

“11:00.”

“Okay. Jack will stop by in the morning then. Night DiNozzo.”

“Night Boss,” Tony said with a weary smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my usual disclaimer as I wade into medical territory. I am not a doctor in real life, although I am a mental health professional. I take great pride in researching medical aspects of my stories but any mistakes belong to me.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments.

Jack arrived a little before 9:30 the next morning. Tony was in the shower and Tali was sitting on the couch with cartoons and a juice box. 

“Good morning, sweetie,” Jack said as she tossed her bag on the end of the couch.

“Hi Jack,” Tali said excitedly as she slid off the couch to give Jack a hug.

“Where’s Daddy?” Jack asked as she headed for the kitchen to get some coffee.

“Shower. Uncle Gibbs is in the basement,” Tali explained.

“Why don’t you go pack your backpack. You want to go to NCIS for a little while?” Jack asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

“Yes, please,” Tali answered as she ran up the stairs.

Ten minutes later Tali came back down, shoes on, backpack hanging from her arm, her father following her down the stairs. 

“Hey Jack, thanks so much for taking her today. You didn’t really need to, she could have just come with me,” Tony said as he headed for the coffee.

“It’s not a problem. Besides, Miss Tali and I need to have some girl time,” Jack said with a grin.

By 10:30 everyone was out of the house, Jack and Tali were in the Mini, heading for the Navy Yard. Gibbs and Tony were in the truck on their way to Bethesda.

*************

“You’re not coming in with me, right?” Tony asked as he and Gibbs sat in Dr. Pitt’s waiting room. At that point, he wasn’t even sure what the older man’s answer would be.

“Nah, I’ll just stay out here and read my book,” he answered, pointing to the well worn paperback western in his lap.

“Good morning gentlemen,” Brad greeted them from the door to the inner office. He had a cup of coffee in the hand and Tony stood to grab it. “This is not for you,” Brad teased as he handed the cup to Gibbs who just smirked in Tony’s direction. “Just ask Rebecca behind the desk if you need more. Come on Buckeye, let’s go,” he said as he motioned in Tony’s direction. “You look like crap,” Brad said.

“Nice to know you haven’t changed one bit over the years,” Tony snorted.

Brad took a quick weight and ushered Tony into an exam room. Tony hopped up onto the exam table and pulled his shirt tails out of his pants. 

“You wanna maybe talk before you get undressed,” Brad teased as he pulled the stool up and sat down in front of Tony.

“Sorry,” Tony said with a large laugh which of course ended up with him coughing. Brad handed him a bottle of water and waited for him to catch his breath.

“So how often does that happen?” he asked.

“Uh, too often,” Tony answered honestly. “Trouble catching my breath if I run around with Tali, forget about actually going for a run. Run down most of the time lately, cranky. Just not myself.

“I beg to differ with the cranky part,” Brad snorted.

“You and Ziva,” Tony agreed with a laugh. “Years ago, when I was in the hospital here, we had a conversation about how the side effects of the plague would eventually affect my everyday life. I think we’re at that point. Thank God I retired, I know there is no way I would be able to pass the NCIS physical at this point,” Tony said as he blew out a frustrated breath. He pulled off his glasses and set them on the exam table next to him before wiping a hand over his eyes. “Using the rescue inhaler way more than I think I should be.”

“So, other than the Advair, which you’ve taken for years and the rescue inhaler, you taking anything else?” Brad asked as he reached for the tablet on the counter. He opened up Tony’s chart to the last list of meds he had recorded and took a look at them.

“Uh, Zoloft and Vistaril as needed,” Tony continued, taking a beat, waiting for the reaction from Brad.

“So, we are taking care of our mental health too?” he smirked. “Talking to someone?”

“Other than Ziva?” Tony teased. Brad just nodded. “Yeah, probably not as regularly as I should but yeah I’m taking care of things.”

“Good, proud of you. So, we’ll get some bloodwork done, do a few little tests now and set you up for some other more involved procedures later this week. How long will you be in DC?”

“Our tickets are open ended but hoping to go back to Paris by the beginning of next week. What exactly are you thinking is wrong?” Tony asked as he fiddled with the water bottle, passing it back and forth between his hands.

“I don’t really know. I’m also not going to be surprised if we don’t find a definitive diagnosis. May end up being more about symptom management and less about diagnosis.”

“That would be fine with me. Okay, so where do we start?” Tony asked as he finished the water and pitched the empty bottle into the recycling bin in the corner of the room.

“You can get undressed now,” Brad teased. Tony unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it while Brad rubbed the bell of the stethoscope on his sleeve to warm it up. Brad took his time listening to Tony’s breathing and telling Tony to stop talking, so he could listen to his breathing.

He checked his blood pressure and pulse, clucking his tongue a little.

“You could say something, instead of clucking your tongue like Ducky,” Tony teased as Brad put the stethoscope down on the counter before pulling the spirometry machine towards him

“Sorry,” Brad said. “A little distracted today. It’s Matthew’s first day of summer camp. Megan talked me into it. He’s only 5, does he really need STEM camp?”

“Brad, he’ll have a great time. And you’re welcome by the way,” Tony snorted.

“For what?” Brad asked as he handed him a nose clip while he set up the spirometry test. 

“Pushing you towards Megan all those years ago. If I hadn’t, she’d still be a cute nurse you make googly eyes at in the hallway of the hospital,” Tony smirked. Brad and Megan getting together was the only bright spot of the two days Tony had spent in the hospital years ago.

“Okay, hop down,” Brad sat as he stood up and pushed the stool in Tony’s direction. Tony sat down and Brad got the mask settled over Tony’s mouth and the nose clip adjusted securely. “Okay, you know how this works, let’s get it done,” Brad announced. 

They did the test three times as was the norm. “Okay, you want some water?” Tony just nodded. “We’ll give you some meds and repeat everything in about 15 minutes. You okay with me drawing the blood?” Brad asked, already knowing the answer to that question. Tony just nodded again. He used the inhaler Brad handed him and held out his arm for the bloodwork.

Brad left Tony to go see another patient while they waited for the meds to kick in a little before repeating everything over again. Tony got a text from Jack with pictures of Tali sitting at his old desk in the squad room and then Ziva’s desk, although she was sitting on the lap of the current occupant of that desk. He forwarded the pictures to Ziva and gave her a quick update of what Brad and said and done so far.

Half an hour later, the second round of spirometry tests were done. Brad pulled up Tony’s results from the last time he’d had the test done, a few months before he left for Paris. There were some subtle changes but nothing overly alarming.

A quick chest x-ray and Gibbs and Tony free to go. Brad was making arrangements for Tony to have a CAT scan and bronchoscopy done on Thursday. That gave Tony a couple of days to enjoy DC with Tali. They were going to the Zoo on Wednesday with Tim and the twins but so far hadn’t decided what to do on Tuesday.

**************

Both were hungry when the appointment was over so they grabbed a sandwich at the hospital cafeteria before returning to NCIS headquarters.

It was mid afternoon by the time they were on the road back to DC. Tony dozed off on the drive back. As expected, Gibbs stopped for coffee on the way back to the Navy Yard. Tony smiled when Gibbs ordered an iced coffee for Jack and a lemonade for Tali.

As they crossed the parking lot Tony took a few measured breaths before walking into the place he’d basically called home for well over a decade. Although he was technically retired from NCIS, some of the consulting Tony did involved his former employer and he carried credentials which didn’t quite get him onto the building without a second glance but it did get him a vistor badge rather quickly. After a quick stop in the bullpen and some direction from McGee, they found Tali in Kasie’s lab. She was sitting on a stool at the counter and Kasie was pressing her little fingers to the scanner, taking her fingerprints. 

“Hey Daddy, look what Kasie’s doing,” she said excitedly. 

“I see, did you commit a crime while I was at the doctor?” he teased.

“No Daddy, we’re just pretending,” Tali clarified with 6 year old seriousness as Gibbs set the lemonade in front of her and kissed her cheek, just like he’d done for years with Abby and her beloved Caf-Pow.

“Where’s Jack?” Gibbs asked, still holding her iced coffee.

“She’s in her office, had to take a call,” Kasie said as she pulled up Tali fingerprints along with the NCIS ID she’d made for her that morning. She took a picture of the little girl posing with her info up on the plasma screen. 

“Send that to me,” Tony said as he took a sip of his coffee. He took a seat on the other stool so Tali could tell him all the things she’d done at NCIS. Kasie took the opportunity to go check in with Jimmy on a few things.

*************

Gibbs made his way to Jack’s office. She was just hanging up when he appeared in her doorway.

“Hey, how was Tony’s appointment?” she asked as she took the coffee from him with a kiss to his cheek.

“Okay, I guess. He didn’t talk too much. Obviously didn’t get any answers after one appointment. Has a CAT scan and something else on Thursday,” Gibbs said as he sat down the edge of Jack’s desk. He fiddled with the wooden box on her desk, the one he’d made for her the Christmas before last. 

“Tali still with Kasie?” Jack asked as she propped her feet up next to Gibbs. 

“Yeah, she was getting her fingerprints taken when we got back,” Gibbs teased. “Looks like she’s having a great time.”

“She’s having a ball. Spent time in the squad room, took some pictures. She met Leon and got a look at MTAC, said she thought it looked like a movie theater. Jimmy gave her a tour of autopsy, don’t worry no bodies lying around.”

“I would hope not.” Gibbs smirked.

“We got hot dogs from the cart for lunch and then she went to the lab.”

“Were you able to get any work done?” he asked, feeling a little guilty at having her babysit.

“I got everything done I needed to, don’t worry about it,” Jack assured him.

“You busy now?” Gibbs asked.

“Not really. What are you guys up to now?”

“I was thinking about walking over to get some ice cream,” he said.

“Ice cream?” Tali asked as she came into the room with Tony.

“Sound good to you?” Jack asked as Tali grabbed an orange lollipop out the bowl. The little girl smiled broadly and nodded her head.

“Ice cream is fine, but you do not need that too,” Tony said, pulling the lollipop out of her hand. He stuck it in his shirt pocket, for later. 

The four of them headed outside. They walked along the river for a little while before doubling back and heading away from the river towards Ice Cream Jubilee. They sat outside with their ice cream, eating it quickly before it melted in the afternoon sun.

***************

Dinner ended up being take out pizza in Gibbs’ living room while they watched The Princess Bride. The guys had picked the pizza, Jack and Tali, the movie.

Tali almost made it through the movie. She fell asleep curled up on the couch, head on the pillow she’d tossed in Gibbs’ lap. He was absently brushing back her curls as he watched the end of the movie. Tony was curled up at the end of the couch, by Tali’s feet. Jack had Gibb’s feet in her lap, her hand resting on his knee.

When the movie ended, Jack and Tony were the only ones awake. They cleaned up a little and put water on for tea. They talked for a little while, no serious conversation or anything. Mainly gossip about the team.

At 11:00 Jack headed home and Tony carried Tali up to bed. He tossed a blanket over Gibbs and left him on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony and Tali spent most of Tuesday just hanging out at Gibb’s house. Truth was they were both a little tired and out of sorts. Tali had been going non stop since they’d arrived from Paris 4 days earlier, meeting and hanging out with new friends of all ages. Tony had done the same plus his appointment with Brad.

They lounged on the couch in the morning, watching TV and playing Go Fish. At lunchtime they made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ate them on the deck. Afterwards, Tali played under the sprinkler and they ate ice pops in the sun.

Gibbs had gone to work early, he was out of the house by 6:30. There were no active cases the team was working on and he’d hoped it would stay that way during the day. As luck would have it, by 2:00 the words “gear up” still hadn’t left his lips and he packed up, leaving the team in the very capable hands of Special Agent Timothy McGee.

On a whim, Gibbs headed to Jack’s office before heading for home. She was sitting on her couch with some files spread out in her lap, the couch and the coffee table. Her reading glasses were sliding down her nose and her hair had been pulled back in a messy bun.

“Hey,” he whispered from the doorway.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jack asked as she pushed her glasses up to the top of her head and moved a couple of files so he had room to sit down next to her. “What, no coffee?” she teased as he came in empty handed and sat down next to him.

“I think I’ve had enough. No active case, so I’ve basically been drinking it for 7 hours,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“What are Tony and Tali doing today?” she asked as she took her glasses off and placed them on the arm of the couch.

“Not much, last time I heard from him. I think the last few days just caught up with them and they needed a little down time. He sounds tired and from what I heard in the background, Tali was melting down a little. Since it’s slow I’m going to head home, check on them. You wanna come over later? We can order Chinese for dinner,” he offered.

“Sounds perfect. I have some things to finish. I’ll call you when I leave here, you can call in an order and I’ll pick it up on the way. Deal?”

“Sounds good,” Gibbs answered. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and stood up, glancing at the door, finding Ellie standing there. She’d clearly been there for more than a second. Ellie tried to look away but ended up giggling just a little. Gibbs just rolled his eyes at her.

“See you later, Sloane,” he called over his shoulder.

Gibbs winked and pressed a kiss to Ellie’s cheek as he turned to go down the hallway.

************

Tony and Tali were sitting on the front porch reading when Gibbs pulled in the driveway. Tali slid off Tony’s lap and ran down the steps.

“Uncle Gibbs,” she called. 

Gibbs scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her cheek. He walked around the other side of the truck and grabbed his backpack, pushing the door closed with his shoulder.

“Hey,” he said in Tony’s direction as they walked up the steps. He set Tali down and the 3 of them went into the house.

“You up for Chinese for dinner?” Gibbs asked as he washed his hands and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“Sounds perfect, Chinese food in France, not so great,” Tony said with a grin as he grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge.

“Uncle Gibbs, can we go to the basement?” Tali asked, as she tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Sure, give me a few minutes to talk to you Daddy. Go find your sneakers, no flip flops in my basement,” he said, pointing at the blue sparkly Frozen flip flops on her feet.

“Be right back,” she said as she started to run up the stairs. “I’m okay,” she yelled after Gibbs and Tony both heard a little thud where she’d clearly missed a step.

“You okay?” Gibbs asked as Tony pushed himself up on the counter, giving both of them a strong sense of déjà vu. 

“Yeah, I think the time difference and running around for 4 days straight caught up with me, with both of us. We’ll be fine,” Tony assured him.

“Good. Oh, Jack’s coming to dinner,” he said, just slipping that into the conversation as headed to the laundry room grab some clothes to change into before going to the basement. “Actually she’s picking up the food on her way over,” he clarified as he headed down the hall.

“He’s getting changed,” Tony said to Tali as she came into the kitchen, looking around for Gibbs. “You can go down, don’t touch anything until he gets there.”

“Okay, Daddy,” she said, calling over her shoulder.

************

“What are you making?” Tali asked as she hopped up onto a stool.

“A plant stand for the deck,” he said as she handed Tali a small pair of goggles, ones he’d picked up for Finn. “Put those on to protect your pretty green eyes,” he said with a wink.

“A plant stand?” Tali asked as she ran her hand over the piece of wood in front of her.

“It was Jack’s idea,” Gibbs said as he handed Tali a scrap of wood and a sanding block. “Here, like this,” he said, demonstrating how to use the block.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Tali asked a few minutes later as she was intently running the sandpaper over the piece of wood. Gibbs stopped mid stroke to glance at the little girl.

“Jack? Uh, not sure. She’s a good friend, we like to spend time together. She’s funny and puts up with me,” he stuttered out.

“Cool. I like her,” Tali said as she set down the sanding block. “Can I hammer something?”

“Sure,” Gibbs chuckled. He put a bigger scrap of wood in a vise and hunted around for the smallest hammer he had and a handful of nails. “I’ll start the nails, so you’ll be less likely to smash your little fingers,” he said as he tapped a few nails in and handed her the hammer. She gripped it and he wrapped his big hand around her little one, showing her how to swing it. When she had the general idea of what to do, he returned his attention to the plant stand.

After Tali had finished with the nails Gibbs had started, she grabbed another nail out of the pile and tried to start it herself. Gibbs watched her out of the corner of his eye, his blue eyes twinkling with pride as she managed to get it started without hitting her thumb. When Tali was on her third nail, Gibbs saw some movement on the stairs and glanced up to see Tony sitting on the top step. His camera was in his hands and he pressed a finger to his lips. Gibbs went back to dry fitting the shelves before gluing it together. Tony took a series of shots of Tali from the top of the stairs.

“I can hear the camera, Daddy,” Tali said without looking up from what she was doing. Tony chuckled and came down the stairs. He took some more candid photos, some close ups of her little hands at work and a few wider shots, including Gibbs. At Tali’s insistence he took a few of her with Gibbs side by side in their matching goggles, wielding hammers and huge matching grins.

“You getting back into photography?” Gibbs asked as he motioned for Tony to put down the camera and give him a hand with the shelf. 

“Yeah, I’ve been doing more lately. Something I can do without overexerting myself,” Tony explained as he held the bottom shelf in place after Gibbs had used the wood glue. 

“Your crime scene photos always were the best,” Gibbs smiled.

“Thanks, can’t wait tell McGee that,” Tony teased. Gibbs just glared at him for a second.

“Daddy, can I take a picture?” Tali asked as she wiped the sawdust off her hands, using the front of her t-shirt.

“Sure, you remember how to turn it on?” he asked as his hands were otherwise occupied.

“Yep,” she answered as she turned it on and put the strap around her neck as Tony had taught her to always do before taking a picture. 

“Tilt it so I can see the top,” Tony said. Tali tilted a little so Tony could make sure it was on AUTO. “Okay, sweetie, you’re good to go.”

Tali took quite a few pictures. She was giggling as she took a good deal of them, so Tony wasn’t too sure how they would turn out. But no big deal, it wasn’t like she was using up film or anything.

Eventually Tali got tired of taking pictures of her Dad and Uncle so she took some random shots around the basement, stuff on the workbench, under the stairs and hanging on the wall.

“Can I take pictures of the flowers outside?” she asked as she carefully put the lens cap on.

“In a little while. I think Uncle Gibbs and I are about done here,” Tony said as he held the last shelf in place. Gibbs nodded as he pulled the last large clamp off the workbench and set it in place, using little blocks of wood so there wouldn’t be a round dents on the side pieces from the clamp. 

*************

A little after 5:00 Jack called to let them know she was leaving NCIS soon and they should order their dinner. After much discussion Gibbs called to place their order, one which probably could have fed a small army, not just 3 adults and a young child. 

Tony headed outside where Tali was patiently waiting for him to bring the camera out so she could take some pictures of the flowers. He adjusted the settings, secured the strap around her neck and set her off.

Gibbs came out a few minutes later with two beers hanging from one hand. He handed one to Tony who took it with a grin.

“No bourbon after work, boss?” he asked, wanting to see if Gibbs would take the bait and talk about a few things.

“Not your boss,” he snorted as he twisted off the cap and took a long sip. “I take it you’ve talked to Jack?” he asked as he dropped down onto the lounge chair, next to the one Tony was currently occupying. 

“We’ve talked about many, many things,” Tony said vaguely with a mock salute of his beer.

“Well, I’m going to assume my consumption of bourbon was one of those things. Yeah, I’ve made an effort not to just reach for the bottle as a reflex when I get home from work. Not saying I don’t drink at all, that’s for sure. But….” he trailed off, with a little shrug of his shoulders.

“I get it,” Tony said. “Makes sense to me.”

“Any other topics you feel the need to discuss?” Gibbs asked, as he lolled in head in Tony’s direction.

“I think I’m good for now,” Tony said as Tali came over and handed him the camera. 

“Can we look at them?” she asked.

“Sure, come under the umbrella where it’s not so bright.”

Gibbs watched as Tali sat on Tony’s lap and the two of them scrolled through the pictures she’d taken. When he’d first met Tony almost 20 years earlier there was no way he could have pictured him as a father. Now here he was, sitting across the deck, a great father to an adorable curled haired, green eyed little girl. 

“Hey, anybody home?” Jack called out the back door a few minutes later.

“Jack,” Tali yelled as she kissed Tony’s cheek and slid off his lap. She gave Jack a big hug and went inside to help her get the food unpacked.

“I don’t think I’m ever eating again,” Tony groaned an hour later after having eaten more for dinner than he had in a day and a half. That was something Gibbs was glad to see.

“You’ll eat again, Daddy, I’m sure,” Tali teased as she reached for a fortune cookie.

While Gibbs and Tony cleaned up, Jack and Tali drew on the patio with the sidewalk chalk and chatted about their day.

Gibbs wandered back out alone a little while later. 

“Where’s Daddy?” Tali asked as she finished drawing a big heart next to her name. 

“He was coughing a bit so he went to sit on the couch to catch his breath,” Gibbs explained as he sat down next to the pair and picked up a green piece of chalk.

“Okay, that happens sometimes,” Tali said with a shrug of her shoulders.

The trio finished up the chalk rainbow Tali and Jack had started. Tony hadn’t reappeared and Jack went in to check on him. She found him wandering around the living room. He was still coughing a little and looked miserable.

“Hey,” Jack said as she closed the back door behind her.

“Tali okay?” he asked.

“She and Jethro are using the sidewalk chalk, she’s fine. She seems to be handling all this in stride,” Jack said.

“Yeah, she is. I try to shelter her a little. But I can’t exactly plan my coughing fits around the schedule of a 6 year old,” Tony said with a sigh. He sat back down on the couch, trying to deepen and regulate his breathing. Jack sat down on the coffee table in front of him, breathing slowly and deeply, hoping Tony would just instinctively follow her breathing. Tony managed to do that and was feeling more in control when Gibbs and Tali came in the back door.

Tali sat next to Tony and put her hand on his shoulder. “Feel better?” she asked.

“Yeah, a little,” Tony asked as he put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Hey Tali, you feel like dessert?” Gibbs asked.

“Yes please. Ice cream?”

“How do you feel about pie?” Gibbs asked with a wink in Tony’s direction.

“I like pie,” she declared.

“Great, why don’t we let Jack and Daddy visit for a while and I’ll show you the diner.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks,” Tony mouthed. Gibbs just gave a little dip of his chin and a hint of a smile. “Tali, go up and grab a sweatshirt, it’s cooling off outside.”

“Okay, Daddy. Uncle Gibbs can we take the truck?”

“Nope, no back seat and you’re too little to sit up front. But we can take Jack’s little car, since she’s blocking my car in at the moment.”

“Okay,” Tali answered as she ran upstairs for a sweatshirt.

Gibbs slipped his shoes on while Jack grabbed her keys out of her bag. Tali appeared a minute later, wearing a USMC sweatshirt Gibb’s had sent her for her birthday.

“You need an Army sweatshirt,” Jack teased as she smoothed down her curls. 

“You two want anything?” Gibbs asked as he grabbed his hat off the hook by the door.

Jack and Tony declined the offer. Tali kissed Tony goodbye and headed out the door hand in hand with Gibbs.

“They are adorable together,” Jack said with a smile.

“They are. He’s great with kids, always has been. Would have loved to have seen him with Phineas,” Tony said quietly.

“They were something together. Good for each other. They talk at least once a week. Finn would love it if Jethro actually came into this century and got himself a smart phone. We’d both be happy with that. Anyway, we’ll probably go up and see him later this summer.”

“Sounds like a nice trip for the two of you,” Tony said with a laugh. Jack just shook her head as if to say, ‘we’re not having this conversation’.

Tony went up to take a shower to try and relax a little. Jack made some tea and curled up on the couch. When Gibbs and Tali had left the two of them alone, Jack had considered trying to have a conversation with Tony about Ziva and how things were left when Ziva had headed for Paris after Sahar was killed. But something in his eyes as he wearily dragged himself upstairs to take a shower made her reconsider.

**************

Tali was fascinated by the diner. She talked Gibbs into sitting at the counter instead of his usual booth. Elaine was on and she was beyond thrilled to meet the little girl. She’d seen pictures of her but she’d obviously never met her. Tali decided against pie when she saw the milkshake machine. She ordered a chocolate shake with extra whipped cream while Gibbs had a piece of apple pie and his usual cup of coffee. Tali spun around on her stool a couple of times while Elaine made her milkshake. Eventually Gibbs caught her by the shoulders to stop her spinning.

“Sorry,” Tali whispered as she reached for a straw.

The two had dessert while they talked to Elaine. Tali only finished half her shake so Elaine put it in a to-go cup along with more coffee for Gibbs. Tali was fading fast so Gibbs carried her out to the car, waking her enough so she could crawl into the backseat and buckle her seatbelt. He folded his tall frame into the front seat of Jack’s Mini with a groan. Every time he was in her car, he swore he’d never get into it again.

As predicted, Tali was sound asleep when Gibbs pulled the car into the driveway. He managed to get her out of the back seat without waking her. Jack met them at the door, finger pressed against her lips. Tony was asleep on the couch, Apollo 13 playing on the television.

Gibbs carried her upstairs and set her on the bed. He slipped her shoes off while Jack found her nightgown on the window seat. Working together they managed to slip off her sweatshirt and shorts and get her nightgown on without her waking up completely. They tucked her in, each pressing a kiss to her forehead before slipping out of the room.

Jack headed home for the night and Gibbs curled up on the couch with his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this started off as a short little filler chapter, but once I put Gibbs and Tali in the basement together, that plan flew out the window.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Ziva lovers, sorry in advance but my feelings about her are starting to show!

Tony woke up to a little hand patting his face. “Daddy, it’s morning. Can we go to the zoo now?”

“Huh?” Tony muttered trying to get a little sense of time and space. It was light outside, well, sort of light. He squinted at his cell phone, 5:25. Another groan escaped his lips as he ran a hand over his face. “Sweetie, we’re not leaving for the zoo for another 4 hours. How about you go back to your room and read for a while. Uncle Gibbs isn’t even up yet.” Tony knew that because the smell of coffee hadn’t wafted up the stairs yet.

“How long do I have to read?” Tali asked as she turned to go back across the hall.

“Is there a clock in there?” Tony asked.

“Yes.”

“Great, you can come back in here or go downstairs when the first number is a 6.”

“Or if I hear Uncle Gibbs?” Tali asked.

“Fine,” Tony muttered pulling the covers over his head.

At a few seconds after 6:00 Tali slid off the bed. As per usual she grabbed her dog and her book before heading downstairs. She could smell the coffee and knew she’d have company.

“Morning, Uncle Gibbs,” she called as her feet hit the living room.

“Kitchen,” he called over his shoulder as he poured himself some coffee. “Daddy, still sleeping?” he asked opened the fridge for Tali.

“Yeah, I wasn’t allowed to come down until there was a 6 on the clock,” she announced as she set her things on the table and grabbed a juice box. Gibbs just chuckled. 

“What are we reading today?” he asked, pointing at her book.

“Madeline. It’s about a little girl who lives in Paris,” she explained. “It’s a little hard, can you help me if I need help?”

“Sure can. You want cereal this morning?”

“Pancakes?” she asked hopefully.

“Not this morning, I have to get to work. But I will make them for you again before you get back on the plane.”

“Okay, then I’ll take cereal,” she said after thinking about it for a few seconds.

Gibbs poured two bowls over Cheerios while Tali started to read. He didn’t have much recent experience with 6 year olds but he was pretty sure she was reading way above her grade level. 

Halfway through the story Tony padded into the kitchen. His hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions and he was still a bit bleary eyed as he surveyed the scene in front of him. He was carrying his cell phone so she snapped a quick picture to send to Ziva.

By 7:00 Gibbs was on his way out the door to work. Tali walked him out to his truck. She gave him a hug goodbye and promised to tell him all about the zoo when he got home.

***************

Tony somehow managed to keep Tali occupied until Tim picked them up at 9:30. She was outside sitting on the porch waiting for them when they arrived.

“Daddy, Uncle Tim and my cousins are here,” she yelled in the house. Tony grabbed their stuff and came out quickly so Tim didn’t have to deal with taking the twins out of their car seats and then wrestling them back in. Tony put Tali’s booster in the third row, behind the twins. They were chatting away like old friends by the time they rounded the corner. Tim stopped for coffee for himself and Tony, and donut holes for the kids.

By the time they parked the Zoo was just about to open. The kids excitedly climbed out of the van. Tim opened the lift gate and set the kids up in a row so he and Tony could get some sunscreen on them, make sure everyone’s shoes were tied and wipe the donuts crumbs from their smiling faces.

Johnny and Morgan, having been to the Zoo before, took Tali by the hands and lead her towards the entrance. Like their parents, the twins were rather verbose, even at 4 months away from turning 3.

The sun was in and out which was just fine as it was rather hot and humid, normal for July in DC. The kids had a grand time, running from exhibit to exhibit each trying to be the first to find the animals. 

Hands down their favorite animals were the pandas and the elephants. Thankfully the zoo wasn’t too crowded and they were able to take their time, letting the kids set the pace. A couple times Tony rested on a bench for a few minutes to catch his breath, cool off and regain a little stamina. 

They grabbed chicken fingers and fries for lunch, eating under the shade of a large oak tree.

Their last stop was the Reptile House. Morgan took a few steps in, saw a large snake and went screaming back out. Tim followed her and they sat on a bench while Tony took Tali and Johnny to see the reptiles.

Everyone was tired, hot and cranky by the time they got back to the van a little after 3:00. The guys got the kids settled into their seats with cold drinks and some snacks. Tim cranked the air conditioning and the music. They just sat for a little while, cooling off. By the time they pulled out of the parking lot, Johnny was asleep and the girls were not far behind.

Tim took a round-about route back to Gibbs’ house since all the kids were sleeping. Even after he pulled the van into the driveway, they were still out. He and Tony opened all the doors and left them in the van while they sat on the front porch chatting about nothing in particular.

One by one the kids woke up, Tali first, then Morgan and lastly Johnny. They all trudged into the house, got cleaned up a bit and then the kids were set free in the back yard.

Tim and Tony sat on the steps of the deck watching the kids run around, they’d clearly gotten a second wind after a mere hour long nap.

Delilah called to check in on her family. She was stuck in a meeting at work and wasn’t sure when she’d be home. Tim had the kids say “hi” to her before hanging up.

Just as Tim and Tony were starting to think about what to do for dinner, Gibbs arrived home.

“Since when is my house rugrat-central?” he teased as he stepped out onto the deck and was immediately surrounded by a trio of little people clamoring for his attention.

“Since your team grew up and had kids, boss,” Tim pointed out. 

Gibbs greeted each one of the kids before going inside to change his clothes and get something to drink. Tony followed him. “You want to order something for dinner?” Tony asked as he tossed his empty water bottle in the recycling can.

“Uh, I think we can rustle something up here. Tim and the twins staying to eat?” Gibbs asked as he opened the freezer and poked around.

“Yeah, Delilah’s stuck at work,” Tony explained.

“This’ll do,” Gibbs declared as he pulled out a large container of meatballs and sauce. “Find some pasta in the pantry, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Tony found two boxes of penne in the pantry and a bag of salad in the fridge. He set everything on the counter as his cell chimed with an incoming text from Ducky wanting to know what time to pick him up in the morning for his tests. Tony answered the text as he heard Gibbs coming back down the stairs.

“Jack’s coming to eat too. We need anything?” he asked as he stuck the meatballs and sauce in the microwave to thaw.

“Italian bread would be good. Maybe something for dessert,” Tony answered.

“You and Tim talk yet?” Gibbs asked, seemingly to ignore the comment about needing bread.

“We’ve been talking all day, but an in-depth conversation, no, not with 3 kids running around,” Tony laughed.

“Then Jack and I will take them out for ice cream so the two of you can talk,” Gibbs said as he walked out the back door before Tony could react. “Oh text her and ask her to pick up some up bread,” he called over his shoulder.

Tony sent a quick text, getting a reply immediately.

***************

Gibbs and Tony cooked dinner, while Jack and the kids set the tables on the deck, the wrought iron table for the adults and the kid sized picnic table Gibbs had built the summer before for the little ones.

Dinner was a lively affair, one that nearly dissolved in a food fight between the twins. A stern look and a few choice words from Tim and they calmed down and finished eating. 

Jack and Gibbs piled the kids into McGee’s van to take them out for ice cream, leaving Tony and Tim to clean up and talk.

“Thank God we ate outside,” Tim muttered as he looked at all the stray pieces of pasta and bread littering the deck. 

“Maybe a hose would be a good idea, or a dog,” Tony teased as he picked up the last of the cups and silverware to take inside. Tim got the majority of the food off the deck. The forecast called for rain later that night, between that and the squirrels he was pretty sure the deck would be clean by morning.

“You want one?” Tim asked as he dangled a beer from his fingers.

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “I’ll be down in a minute,” he said, hitching his thumb towards the stairs. 

Tim opened two beers and took them out to the deck while Tony ran upstairs to use his inhaler. He was back in a few minutes.

“So, to old friends,” Tim said as he held up his beer. 

Tony tapped his bottle against Tim’s. “Old friends,” he echoed before taking a drink.

“So, I think they took the kids out so we could talk,” Tim muttered.

“Yeah, they weren’t exactly subtle about that,” Tony teased as he stretched out on the lounge chair. “I guess you’re going to ask the same question Ducky and Gibbs have already asked.”

“About why Ziva didn’t come?” Tim guessed with a smirk. Tony just nodded. “No, I get it. I mean, I love Ziva but let’s face it, your visit wouldn’t have been as relaxed if she had come. For a few reasons. But I am going to ask if things are okay, in general. I mean, we chat regularly and keep in touch pretty well but it’s usually about the kids.”

“What’s the matter, you miss our heart to heart talks, Mc Girly,” Tony smirked. McGee just smiled and let out a little laugh. “What?” Tony asked.

“I think that’s the first nickname you’ve used all week,” Tim explained.

“Hard habit to break completely.”

“You never need to break it completely,” Tim said sincerely. “And you can start to answer my question any time you feel like it.”

“In general things are…..” Tony stopped short to cough a few times. “Honestly, I don’t know how to answer that. The past 7 months have been a whirlwind, to say the least. We’re still trying to find our footing, trying to give Tali the stable family she deserves. She’s handled it all extremely well for a 6 year old. She does see someone, both of us do actually.”

“And Ziva?” Tim asked.

“Once in a while we will go as a family, but no, she doesn’t talk to anyone on her own. It’s kind of a sore spot actually. It took me a long time to realize I couldn’t do it alone. Basically, Brad had to pound that into my thick skull. Talking helps, and so do meds,” Tony said shrugging his shoulders as he took a sip of his beer.

“Did Tali remember Ziva?” Tim asked.

“I think she remembered the idea of her, if that makes sense,” Tony explained. Tim just nodded. “I certainly made an effort to talk about her, we would look at pictures of her every night before bed.”

“But it was an adjustment?”

“Yeah. Tali and I had our routine, we were creatures of habit. Breakfast at the café around the corner, walking along the river and feeding the ducks after school. Stories before bed, skyping with Gibbs on Sunday afternoon. Thanks again for getting that set up for him, never thought I’d see the day he’d even start to embrace technology.”

“Yeah, still working on that smart phone though,” Tim teased. “I think eventually Finn will convince him to do that.”

“Then there’s Ziva’s job,” Tony said cryptically.

“What exactly is her job?” Tim asked. Tony just raised his eyebrows. “Ah, that’s the problem?” he guessed.

“Yeah. Too many secrets. I’ve spent the last few years trying to live my life honestly, as corny as that sounds,” Tony said as he fidgeted a little, peeling the label off the bottle of beer and bouncing his foot.

“It’s not corny. You eventually grew up, left behind the life of Peter Pan. Tali finally has both her parents and you’d like to keep it that way.”

“Bingo. My family’s a work in progress,” Tony said as he set the empty bottle down next to him. 

“I think all families are,” Tim said quietly. “You want another?” he asked as he held up his empty bottle. Tony just shook his head. “Water?”

“Yeah.”

“You need anything else?” Tim asked as he pushed himself to his feet. Tony coughed a few times and sat up to try and catch his breath.

“Answers,” Tony muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. He wasn’t exactly steady and Tim reached out to grab his elbow. “I’m okay,” he said a few seconds later. The two of them headed inside.

“So what exactly are you having done tomorrow?” Tim asked as they took a seat at the kitchen table.

“CAT scan and a bronchoscopy. Ducky’s going with me, so no need to offer,” Tony smirked.

“Wasn’t going to. Figure I’ll offer to keep you company on Friday, when you’ll be wiped out, cranky and possibly medicated,” Tim chuckled.

“Don’t you have a job to do?” Tony snorted. 

Tim just laughed. “My boss is pretty understanding.”

“Oh he is, is he?” Gibbs asked as he came in the front door. He was carrying Tali who was not quite awake. He set her down on the couch and slipped off her shoes.

“Yeah, he is,” Tim said with a smile.

“Twins are asleep, Jack’s out there with them. They may be wearing as much ice cream as they ate, sorry about that.”

“No problem, boss. Thanks for taking them out and for dinner,” Tim said as he gathered up the few things the kids had left in the living room. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night Tim,” Gibbs said with a smile.

Tony walked Tim out to the van. Jack said good night to Tim and went into the house.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Text if you need anything,” Tim said as he gave Tony a quick hug and slipped into the driver’s seat. 

Tony took a few slow deep breaths, trying to push down the anxiety he felt creeping up on him. He took a seat on the top step, not quite ready to go back inside. 

“You staying tonight?” Gibbs asked Jack as he headed for the kitchen for a drink. 

“Uh, not sure,” she answered as she looked out the front door to see where Tony was.

“What’s he doing?” Gibbs asked over his shoulder.

“Sitting on the steps. Let’s get Tali to bed and you settled down with an ice pack and some Advil. You’ve done way too much running around with little ones these last few days, not to mention chasing that suspect this morning.”

“You got that right,” Gibbs muttered as he leaned over and rubbed at his knee a little.

Tali didn’t even stir when Jack carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed. Gibbs changed, brushed his teeth and went into the guest room. Jack got him an ice pack and the pills, essentially tucking him in too. He didn’t even bother teasing her or being annoyed, he was too exhausted. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and let him with his book. At a few minutes before 10:00, it was the earliest he’d settled down in months.

Jack poked her head out the front door, finding Tony still sitting on the front step. He glanced over his shoulder to see who was checking on him. “Hey,” he whispered, not making a move to get up, or even turn around fully.

“How about I make some tea?” Jack offered.

“Thanks. Is Tali okay?” Tony asked.

“She’s fine. I tucked her in.”

“And Jethro?”

“Tucked him in too,” Jack laughed.

Tony chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet to go back inside. “I’ll be down in a minute,” he said as he headed for the stairs. He changed into his pajamas, took a Vistaril to try help with the anxiety and checked on Tali. He kissed her cheek and tucked her dog under her arm.

Jack was sitting on the couch with her tea when Tony got back down. His tea was waiting for him on the coffee table. He picked it up and curled up in the corner of the couch, pillow clutched to his chest.

“You okay?” Jack asked, figuring a simple, vague question was the way to go.

Tony chuckled. Although he’d only met Jack in person a few days earlier, he knew there was no way he was going to get away with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

“Okay in general, or at this very moment?” he asked, wrapping his hands around the mug.

“It’s getting late, so how about, at this very moment,” Jack said carefully with just the hint of a little smile.

“Honestly, trying my best not to have a complete panic attack. Took a Vistaril when I went upstairs,” he admitted as he took a deep breath, one which, quite predictably, set off a chain reaction of coughing. Jack reached out to take the tea from him before it ended up all over him and the couch. Tony sat up straighter, that usually helped him catch his breath. He tossed his glasses on the coffee table and face a hand over his face.

Jack turned sideways on the couch, facing Tony, tucking her feet under her. He was still in the corner clutching the pillow. “Breath with me,” she said as she tapped his knee, slipping into her therapeutic persona quite easily. Tony followed her lead and got his breathing under control. “You need the inhaler?” Jack asked.

“No, not really a lung issue right now,” he said as he tapped his temple. Jack just smiled a little.

“Freaking out about tomorrow?” Jack asked as he handed him a tissue from the box on the coffee table. 

Tony wiped his face and blew his nose. “Not about the tests, although I’m not thrilled about being put under. Don’t usually come out of anesthesia very well. More worried about not getting an answer. That make sense?”

“Sure it does,” Jack said as he handed him his tea back.

“Brad did warn me that it might end up being more about symptom control and less about a definitive diagnosis. And that’s okay. I just want to be able to enjoy my life, get through the day without feeling like I need a nap. Want the days to not feel so long,” he sighed.

“So, what are you having done tomorrow. Jethro was a little vague, said CT scan and something else he described as, not too pleasant sounding,” Jack said with a chuckle.

Tony laughed carefully before answering. “Bronchoscopy. They’ll biopsy anything that looks a little off. Ducky’s going to go with me. Tali’s going to go to work with Gibbs. Sorry if she ends up in your office when they go out on a case.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Your little girl is amazing and I am thrilled to spend time with her,” Jack assured him. “Has Jethro ever mentioned Faith?” she asked quietly after taking a deep breath. Tony just nodded. “Then you know spending time with Tali is good for me. Gives me a chance to do some of the things I missed out on,” Jack said simply as she finished her tea and stood up to take her mug into the kitchen. Tony let her go. While he would have loved to talk to her about Faith, he knew that was a conversation for another time.

Tony paced around the living room for a minute. He picked up the little wooden “rules” box, flipping through them as memories came flooding back. When he heard Jack coming back from the kitchen, he set the box back where it belonged and quickly swiped at his eyes.

“I should head home,” Jack said as she glanced at her watch. She’d thought about staying but she knew things would be hectic in the morning and the last thing they needed was another body in the way. 

“Not staying?” Tony asked, a bit surprised.

“No, barring an early morning case, I’ll meet Jethro and Tali at the diner for breakfast.,” she explained as she slipped on her shoes.

“Thanks for everything,” Tony said as he kissed her cheek and wrapped her up in a big hug.

“You are welcome. Call if you need anything tomorrow,” Jack said as she patted his cheek before heading down the hall to the guest room.

Tony headed upstairs, suddenly really tired.

Gibbs was asleep when Jack checked on him. He was still sitting up but his glasses had slid down his nose and his book was in his lap. She carefully removed both and nudged him under the covers.

“He okay?” Gibbs muttered as he settled down.

“I think so,” Jack said simply. She did not want to get into a conversation both of them needed sleep. “I’ll see you for breakfast,” she said as she pressed a kiss to his forehead and turned out the light.

“Night, Jack,” Gibbs whispered as he rolled over.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony was awake before the alarm went off at 5:00. He showered quickly, shoved a few things into his backpack and brushed his teeth. He kissed Tali goodbye and headed downstairs.

Gibbs was already up and in the kitchen when Tony went down.

“You’re up early, even for you,” Tony said glancing at the time, 5:23 AM.

“That’s what happens when you get sent to bed before 10,” Gibbs chuckled as he poured himself some coffee. He held up a second mug and Tony just shook his head. “Sorry, forgot you can’t eat this morning. You ready?”

“As ready as I’m going to be. Thanks for taking Tali today. Hope she’s not too much to handle.”

“I handled you for over a decade, I think I can handle the 6-year-old version of you,” Gibbs teased.

They chatted for another few minutes until Ducky arrived to escort Tony to Bethesda.

***********

“Morning Buckeye,” Dr. Brad Pitt said with a big smile as he met Tony and Ducky in the waiting room. He held a to-go cup in his hand and Tony didn’t even bother reaching for it.

“Morning,” Tony grumbled. He was regretting not having a snack before bed. Without coffee and breakfast he was getting rather cranky.

“Some English Breakfast tea for you, Dr. Mallard. Good to see you again,” Brad said handing over the cup to Ducky.

“You too Dr. Pitt. He’s all yours,” Ducky said, giving Tony a slight shove in the direction of Brad. “Good luck, to you both,” he said with a grin. 

Ducky took a seat near the window and opened up the newspaper he’d brought with him.

“You doing okay?” Brad asked as he and Tony turned down the hall.

“Been better,” Tony muttered, clearly not in the mood for small talk. He’d already been through the registration process and was now sporting an ID bracelet on his right wrist.

“Okay,” Brad said as they headed for the holding area where Tony would wait to be taken for the CT scan. They walked in silence down the hall, Tony clearly dragging his feet. “We’ll do with and without contrast,” Brad explained as they stepped into the Day Stay Surgery holding area. He looked at a nurse who pointed to a bed by the window. Tony set his backpack on the window sill and sat on the edge of the bed. 

“With contrast?” Tony whined as he kicked off his sneakers.

“We’ll get a better view. Now I remember what happened last time you had to drink the contrast. I believe I had to buy a new pair of sneakers. IV shouldn’t be as bad. I’m not guaranteeing you won’t puke but there will be a smaller chance,” Brad teased as he took the flimsy hospital gown the nurse handed him and tossed it at Tony. He pulled the curtain closed so Tony could change. Brad took the opportunity to grab an IV kit, knowing things would go a whole lot easier if he just got the IV started himself.

“Okay, let’s get this over with,” Tony declared as he pushed the curtain opened and sat down on the bed. He pulled on the oh-so-attractive yellow hospital socks before pulling the sheet over him. 

Brad got the IV started and a nurse came in to hang a bag of fluids and check Tony’s vitals. As the machine beeped and then flashed his vital signs the nurse cleared her throat a little.

“Dr. Pitt?” she said, wanting him to take a look at Tony’s pulse and blood pressure, neither of which were very impressive.

“He hates hospitals,” Brad teased. “How about a little Versed,” he asked the room in general.

Both the nurse and Tony nodded. Ten minutes later, Tony didn’t really care all that much where he was.

*****************

The CT scan itself went just fine. Tony had been given enough Versed that the claustrophobia didn’t really kick in until the last minute or so. Brad was standing there the second they pulled him out of the machine. Tony was still a little loopy when he was wheeled back to the holding area. Ducky was waiting for him with a smile and a cup of ice chips. 

“My dear boy, you really do have a very low tolerance for medication of any kind, don’t you,” Ducky teased as he motioned for Tony to wipe away the little bit of drool on his face.

“It’s a gift, Ducky,” Tony muttered, his speech a little slurred. He ate some ice chips and drifted in and out of sleep for a little while.

Brad checked on him in between seeing patients in his office. He kept Ducky supplied with tea and snacks, Tony with ice chips.

By noon Tony was wide awake and beyond cranky. Ducky took the opportunity to step out to call Gibbs and grab something to eat.

“Hey, you hanging in there?” Brad asked as he wandered back over from his office about 15 minutes after Ducky had made his getaway. 

“Define, hanging in?” Tony snorted.

“I just checked the OR board, they’re running a little behind. Should have you in there about 1:30.”

“Okay, can I lose this for a minute?” Tony asked as he shook the IV tubing a little.

“As long as you’re not planning a breakout, yes,” Brad teased as he reached for a pair of gloves.

“Just using the head. Promise I’ll be right back,” Tony said, crossing his heart. Brad carefully disconnected the IV and handed Tony his glasses.

At 1:15 Brad was about a minute away from just knocking Tony out then and there. The OR wasn’t quite ready and both he and his patient were beyond frustrated. Ducky reappeared just as Brad’s pager went off.

“Okay Buckeye, I have to go check on one patient and then I’ll meet you in the OR. Dr. Mallard would you like to join our little party?” he offered. He figured having someone who might be able to calm Tony down would be a good idea.

“I would love to do that, if it’s okay with Anthony here,” Ducky said, pointing towards the cranky man on the bed. 

“I’d appreciate that Ducky,” Tony said sincerely.

“Splendid.”

“I’ll get you some scrubs and I’ll meet both of you soon,” Brad said as he headed out. He stopped at the desk to let the nurse they’d be having a guest in the OR.

*************

“Okay, let’s get this over with, scoot over onto the table,” Brad said as he pulled his procedure mask up and tied it over the back of his head.

Tony did as he was told. The nurse arranged the IV line, wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm and settle the nasal oxygen tubing over his ears. “Comfortable?” she asked as she clipped the pulse ox sensor on his index finger.

“As comfy as I’m going to get,” Tony teased with a wink and as much DiNozzo charm as he could muster up.

“Oh, you’ll be really comfy with some Propofol in just a minute,” Brad pointed out. He motioned for Ducky to step a little closer. “Okay Tony, we’re going to sit you up a little and spray the back of your throat with something to numb it up. Just warning you, it’s a little nasty.”

Tony looked at Ducky for a little reassurance. “Well, maybe a bit more than a little nasty. Tastes kind of like rotten bananas and gasoline. Sit up, I’ll hold your hand,” Ducky offered with a small chuckle, only half joking. Tony took him up on the offer of a hand.

Brad sprayed his throat and as expected Tony gagged and let loose a few rather colorful phrases. But the Propofol came next and within a minute Tony was out. 

*************

“Hey Buckeye, come on, let’s see those big green eyes,” Brad teased a little over an hour later. Tony was back in the Day Stay holding area struggling to bring himself back to consciousness. Brad’s pager went off and he stepped aside, letting Ducky take over trying to nudge Tony along in his quest to wake up.

“Welcome back, Anthony,” Ducky said as he patted Tony’s hand. Tony lolled his head in the direction of the familiar Scottish lilt. Tony squinted a little, until he managed to focus enough to only see one Dr. Mallard sitting next to him.

“I feel like crap,” Tony whispered as he struggled to keep his eyes open. His voice was so weak he wasn’t even sure if his statement had reached Ducky’s ears.

“I know, that’s perfectly normal. You can take your time waking up. I’ll be right here,” Ducky assured him as he adjusted the nasal oxygen prongs a little. Brad had just kept the O2 on for the time being. Tony’s levels had dropped a little during the procedure and as long as he was still half asleep, Brad just left it.

Brad checked on Tony a few minutes later, both he and Ducky were dozing. He scribbled a note for them and ran to his office to see a few patients.

By 4:00 Tony was wide awake and miserable. He was hunched over a pink basin trying not to get sick again. He’d tried ice chips, ginger ale and a few saltines, nothing had stayed down very long. Ducky was perched on the bed next to him, a comforting hand on his back. That’s how Brad found them after he’d finished seeing his last patient of the day. 

“And I see your sensitive system is still fully intact,” Brad teased. “How about some Compazine?” Tony just gave a little thumbs up, instead of the finger he really wanted to hold up. “Your throat still numb?”

“Not at all,” Tony croaked out, his voice very weak and raspy. The sound of his own voice shocked him and it showed on his face.

“Hey, that’s normal. It’ll take a few days to get back to the normally dulcet tones of Anthony DiNozzo,” Brad teased. That crack earned him the middle finger from Tony and a snort from Ducky. “You want to try some more ice chips?”

“No,” Tony muttered as he handed the thankfully empty basin to Brad and rolled over on his side, facing the window.

Brad checked on the IV, which he’d also left in after the bronchoscopy, under an abundance of caution. There was half a bag of fluids left and since Tony didn’t seem interested in drinking anything, he just left that also.

At 6:00 Tony, Brad and Ducky met for a little strategy session. They were at the point where some decisions needed to be made about the next step.

“I just want to get out of here,” Tony said quietly. Missing was the DiNozzo arrogance, the cockiness Brad would have expected at this point in the day. And that’s what worried him.

“I know you do. I’ll discharge you, on one condition,” Brad said carefully as he glanced over at Ducky.

“Is that condition a babysitter for the night?” Tony muttered as he sat up slowly.

“Yep, it is. And I imagine you’ll be having more than one babysitter, but I’m only concerned about the one with the medical degree,” Brad teased. “Ducky is the only reason I’m letting you out of here. He has instructions that if you give him any crap he can drive you right back here and just kick you out of the car. You got that?” Brad said with a little laugh. Tony just nodded. “Okay let’s get you unhooked.” Tony pulled the O2 off and Brad removed the IV and the blood pressure cuff. “Okay, I will be in touch, probably late tomorrow with some results. Take it easy tonight and tomorrow. Listen to Ducky. Now, your throat and chest are going to be sore. Food’s not that important but make sure you drink enough. No caffeine. Ducky will check your pulse ox. Running a fever is perfectly normal, call me if it’s over 100.5. Don’t freak out if you cough up a little blood. Text if you need anything. Any questions?” Brad asked as the nurse brought the wheelchair.

“Nope, I think I’m good,” Tony sighed as he took a seat and put his backpack in his lap.

To the surprise of nobody, Tony dozed on the drive back to Gibbs’ house. Ducky kept one eye on the road and the other on his passenger/patient. Traffic was light and they arrived in good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. On vacation now and I had grand plans of getting up early each morning and writing out on the deck, listening to the sounds of the ocean. Needless to say, that has not happened.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos.


	9. Chapter 9

Jack, Tali and Gibbs had already been home for about two hours when Ducky and Tony arrived. They’d eaten dinner and Jack was trying to keep Tali entertained. Jack had taken her outside when she heard the car pull in the driveway, which gave Tony time to settle down on the couch. Gibbs and Ducky just left him alone for a little while, they knew the last thing he wanted was people hovering over him.

Eventually Gibbs wandered into the living room to check on him.

“Promise I’m not hovering but you need anything?” Gibbs asked as he perched on the edge of the coffee table. “Hungry?”

“No, just send Tali in for a minute.” Gibbs just nodded as he pushed himself to his feet. He opened the slider and called for her to come inside. Jack followed carrying the sidewalk chalk and bubbles they’d been playing with in the backyard. 

“Hey Daddy,” Tali said as she took a seat next to Tony on the couch. 

“Hey sweetie,” Tony croaked out.

“Your voice is funny,” Tali said. Tony just nodded. “Does it hurt to talk?”

“A little. So, I’m probably going to be pretty tired tomorrow. You want to spend the day with Victoria?

“Can I?” she asked excitedly. 

Jimmy called Ducky while they were on the way back from the hospital. Ducky had given him an update and mentioned Tony would probably not be moving far from the couch the next day. Brenna offered to pick up Tali in the morning and keep her for as long as Tony needed, overnight if that would be helpful.

“Yep. Aunt Brenna will pick you up in the…in the morning,” Tony explained, his voice giving out at the end.

Jack had been listening to their conversation and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge for Tony. He drank a little water and answered a text from Ziva before drifting off.

Ducky and Gibbs were in the kitchen chatting while Ducky ate. Gibbs had made chicken and grilled vegetables for dinner and he reheated a plate for Ducky.

Jack took Tali back outside to run around and maybe tire the little girl out a bit. They stayed outside until the fireflies came out. Tali caught a few before setting them free again. Tony was still asleep when they got back inside so Jack scooted Tali upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed. She also helped Tali back a bag for the next day, putting in pajamas, just in case.

It was nearly 10:00 when Jack came back downstairs. Tali was asleep after two books and a recap of her entire day. Jack tossed a load of Tali and Tony’s laundry in the washer. She didn’t see Ducky and Gibbs but the basement door was half opened and the light was on so she figured they were busy with some project or another. She grabbed her book from her bag and went into the living room. The light was still on and it didn’t seem to be bothering Tony one bit as he was still sound asleep, so she opened her book to read for a little while.

“Hey,” Tony muttered as he cracked an eye open to find Jack sitting at the other end of the couch. “Tali asleep?” he asked trying to focus his eyes. He levered himself up a little in the corner of the couch. He squinted at his cell to check the time, almost 10:30.

“Yep, all showered and sound asleep,” Jack said as she took a seat on the coffee table. “I packed her a bag for tomorrow. Just need to throw in her toothbrush and her dog in the morning. She’s all set if she ends up staying over. And I threw in a load of your laundry.”

“Thanks,” Tony croaked out as Jack handed him the bottle of water.

“Finish this,” she said with a pointed look, noticing the bottle was only half empty.

“Ah, Anthony, I thought I heard your gravelly voice up here,” Ducky said as he emerged from the basement. His voice had a little too much enthusiasm after such a long day. In fact, Tony was surprised he was still awake. Ducky grabbed his medical bag off the table in the foyer, happy he’d had the forethought to toss it in his car that morning. He sat down next to Tony and Jack left the room to give them a little privacy. Ducky clipped the pulse ox sensor on his finger, getting an acceptable reading of 96% a few seconds later. He tossed the sensor back in his bag and pulled out the ear thermometer. Tony turned his head a little. “100.2,” Ducky said with the usual cluck of his tongue. “Nothing to worry about, perfectly normal after the bronchoscopy. Dr. Pitt did warn you about that, right?” he asked. Tony just nodded. “Throat still sore?” Tony just nodded again and Ducky didn’t push him to talk. Ducky took a minute to listen to his breathing, not finding anything really concerning. “Would you like something to eat?” Ducky asked as he packed everything back in his bag.

“I don’t think I can,” Tony answered as his phone vibrated on the coffee table. It was Brad.

_BP-just checking in. doing okay?_

_AD-define okay_

_BP-living, breathing etc._

_AD-smart ass. Living and breathing, yes. Miserable, also yes. 100.2 and 96%, drank enough but haven’t eaten, Ducky doesn’t seem too worried about how my lungs are sounding and I have plenty of babysitters. That answers your questions?_

_BP-Haven’t actually asked any questions yet but yes, it does answer most of them. Take some Advil and don’t worry about food for now. Nauseous?”_

_AD-a little_

_BP-try some ginger ale. Hemoptysis?_

_AD-what the hell is that?? Doesn’t sound like something I want to have!!_

_BP-sorry to get technical so late at night. Coughing up blood?_

_AD-just a little._

_BP-perfectly normal. I should get some results in the morning. I’ll call you if I need you to come back in. Try to get some sleep and let people help you, don’t be stubborn_

_AD-who me??_

_BP-yes Buckeye, you. Talk to you in the morning._

_AD-thanks for not keeping me overnight_

_BP-thank Ducky, he’s the only reason you got out of there_

_AD-I know. Talk to you tomorrow._

Tony pushed himself off the couch and headed for the bathroom. On the suggestion of Brad he took some Advil.

“Daddy,” Tali’s voice floated down the stairs a few minutes later. 

“I’ll go check on her,” Jack said, calling to Tony who was coming out of the bathroom.

“Hey Tali, what’s wrong?” Jack asked as she turned on the light in the hall. Tali was sitting on the bed, dog clutched to her chest. She had little tears in her eyes. Jack scooped her up and Tali wrapped herself around her, holding on for dear life. 

“Where’s Daddy?” the little girl sniffled.

“He’s downstairs,” Jack said, trying to adjust her grip on Tali so the two of them didn’t end up on the floor. Tali was built like her father, all arms and legs. Jack walked across the hall and the two of them settled down in the rocking chair in the master bedroom. The little girl turned sideways, threw her long legs over the arm of the rocker and settled her head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack rubbed her back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Did you have a bad dream?” Jack felt Tali nod her head. When Tali didn’t make an effort to elaborate, Jack didn’t press her.

“Can we go downstairs?” Tali asked a few minutes later.

“Sure. Remember Daddy is really tired and his voice still sounds a little funny. But he was awake a few minutes ago.”

“Okay,” Tali said as she slid off Jack’s lap and headed downstairs. Jack took a minute to grab herself a t-shirt out of Gibb’s drawer to sleep in. She knew there was no way she was going home that night. Her gut told her it was going to be a long night all around.

When Jack got back downstairs Ducky was asleep in the overstuffed chair in the corner of the living room, everyone else was awake and sitting at the kitchen table. Gibbs was eating a piece of cold chicken, Tali drinking a cup of water and Tony holding an empty mug with a tea bag stuck in it. The kettle was on, Jack could hear the first little sounds of the water starting to boil.

“Well, this is a sad party,” she teased as she patted Tony’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of Gibbs’ head. She got herself a mug and poured the boiling water for both her and Tony.

“A very sad party,” Tony said. “So sad that little girls should leave the party and go to bed,” he said as he smiled at Tali.

“Okay Daddy,” she said with a barely concealed yawn. She went around the table, kissing everyone good night. “Can you tuck me in?” she asked Gibbs after he leaned over enough so she could kiss his cheek.

“Sure thing,” he said as he picked her up and headed for the stairs. Tony and Jack each gave a little wave and she blew kisses to both of them.

“I can’t thank you and Jethro, and well really everyone, for everything this week,” Tony whispered as he absently stirred his tea. 

“Tony, it’s what friends do for each other,” Jack pointed out with a smile.

“You sure we only met in person 6 days ago?” Tony teased. 

“Seems longer, doesn’t it,” Jack agreed with a tired, little laugh.

The pair turned their heads towards the stairs as they heard Gibbs coming down. 

“All tucked in, again,” he grinned. “What are you two talking about?” he asked, seeing the smiles on their faces.

“Just thanking Jack for everything this week. And thanks to you too. And trying to wrap our minds around the fact we just met less than a week ago,” Tony explained. “Or met in person to be more precise.”

“Yeah, sure seems like you have been here longer than that,” Gibbs teased as he glanced at his watch. “Well, some of us need to get up for work in the morning. Where the hell are we all sleeping?” he asked as Ducky padded into the kitchen.

“Let’s start with you,” Jack said, pointing at Tony. “Where do you think you’ll be most comfortable?”

“Honestly, the couch,” Tony answered. “I just need to grab some pajamas and a few other things from upstairs,” he said as he stood up a little too quickly. He reached for the back of the chair to steady himself.

“Yeah, someone will get your stuff for you,” Gibbs said as he grabbed his former SFA by the elbow. Tony just agreed with a little nod. “You okay in the guestroom, Duck?”

“That would be just fine. I already retrieved my bag out of the car.”

“And we’ll sleep upstairs,” Jack said. “Jethro, why don’t you grab what Tony needs and bring down a set of sheets from the linen closet so I can make up the bed for Ducky.”

Half an hour later, everyone was in the process of settling in for what had the potential to be a very long night. Ducky was in bed in the guest room, finishing a chapter in his book. Tony was curled up on the couch flipping through the channels. He was exhausted but not ready to settle down. Jack left two bottles of water for him and he had his cell near him in case he needed anything he could just text Jack and/or Ducky as the sound of his voice was not likely to travel very far. 

Upstairs Gibbs was asleep by the time Jack brushed her teeth and checked on Tali one last time.

**************

Jack startled awake, not quite knowing why, a little after 1:00 in the morning. She turned towards Gibbs who was sound asleep, snoring softly. Rolling back over in the hopes of just falling back to sleep proved to be fruitless when she heard someone moving around downstairs. She grabbed Gibbs’ robe from the hook on the back of the door as she was just wearing a t-shirt of his. While the shirt was certainly big on her, it wasn’t long enough that she was going to parade around his house wearing only that.

With a quick check of the other bedroom she found Tali sound asleep, curled up in a tight little ball, clutching her dog.

Jack padded down the stairs. In the previous year or so she’d gotten better at avoiding the creaky ones. The couch was empty, the blankets pushed to the end and Tony’s cell phone missing. Except for the light over the stove, the kitchen was dark, so was the bathroom. Jack was just about to call out for Tony when she noticed the slider to the deck was cracked open a bit. She glanced out and saw him sitting on the end of one of the lounge chairs. He had his elbows on his knees and head in his hands. She could see his shoulders shaking and hear him coughing. 

“Hey,” Jack called quietly, so she wouldn’t startle him. Tony glanced over his shoulder as he wiped a hand over his face. “You okay?” she asked as she closed the slider behind her and padded across the deck. She got the fully expected shrug of his shoulders in response. “Did you sleep at all?”

“I don’t think so,” Tony admitted as he turned sideways on the lounge chair and patted the spot next to him. Jack sat down, tucking one leg under her and wrapping the robe around her a little against the slightly chilly night air. Tony took a few deep breaths to try and center himself a little. Jack rubbed her hand over his back a bit, trying to provide a little comfort. It was clear Tony was miserable and it was also clear he really had very little idea what exactly was wrong, or more importantly, what was going to make it better.

“What can I do for you?” Jack asked as she patted his hand. “Need anything?”

“Answers,” Tony muttered. “Short of that, how about a can of ginger ale and a hand so I can get up,” he sighed wearily. He held out his hand and Jack pulled him to his feet. She started to deposit him back on the couch when he made a quick detour to the bathroom. She sighed, glancing at the clock before reaching to grab a can of ginger ale out of the fridge. She hung in the hallway, no wanting to intrude but wanting to be nearby if he needed anything. The sounds of him getting sick and her walking in the hallway woke Ducky a few minutes later.

“Oh my,” Ducky said as he walked into the hallway, a little bleary eyed and not quite fully awake.

“Here, I’ll let you handle this,” Jack said as she handed Ducky the can of soda and patted his shoulder. “I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.” Ducky just nodded.

“Anthony,” Ducky said as he knocked softly on the bathroom door.

“It’s open,” Tony muttered as he flicked on the faucet.

Ducky entered the room with an expected cluck of his tongue. Tony was leaning over the sink, splashing water on his face. While he did that, Ducky set down the ginger ale and reached for a towel on the shelf, pressing it into Tony’s hands after the water was turned off.

Tony dried his face and tossed the towel over the edge of the tub. He coughed and spit a few times, a little alarmed at the amount of blood he saw in the sink.

“Perfectly normal,” Ducky said as he glanced at the pair of dime sized clots before flicking the water on to get rid of them. 

Tony took a step towards the door and then thought twice about that decision. He grabbed the ginger ale and sat down on the edge of the tub. Jack knocked softly and peeked her head in the room.

“You two need anything?” she asked.

“My dignity and a blanket,” Tony muttered. Ducky chuckled at his comment about needing his dignity. It was a phrase he’d used years ago when he’d spent a weekend on Gibbs’ couch, sick, miserable and well taken care of by his friends.

“Be right back,” Jack said as she went to grab the blanket off the couch.

“Well, three is certainly a crowd in here,” Ducky declared when Jack returned. “Anthony, I’ll be in living room, come out when you’re ready and I’ll check your temperature.”

“Thanks Ducky.”

Jack set the blanket over his shoulders before pressing her hand to his forehead. “Pretty warm,” she muttered, unnecessarily. Tony just gave a little nod. 

“What time is it, anyway?” Tony asked as he looked around for his cell phone before remembering he’d tossed it on the kitchen table as he’d made his beeline for the bathroom.

“Almost 2:00. You ready to get the hell out of the bathroom?” Jack asked, chuckling to herself at a memory which flew into her mind.

“What could possibly be funny?” Tony asked as he took a small sip of soda.

“The night Sahar was killed was much like this night, minimal sleep, musical beds and someone puking in the middle of the night, that case it was Finn. After he’d calmed down a bit I asked if we could all get the hell out of the bathroom. Finn was half asleep but managed to mutter “language Jack”, a phrase Gibbs had taken to using with all of us when our language in the office got a little too salty for a 9 year old,” Jack explained with a smile.

“I have got to meet that kid,” Tony muttered as he let Jack pull him to his feet.

“You two would get along great,” Jack assured him with a smile. She left Tony so he could use the bathroom. She took the blanket back to the couch. Ducky was dozing, waiting for Tony to come back out. The good doctor woke up when he heard Jack come into the room.

“He’ll be right out. He’s calmed down a bit,” Jack said as she perched on the arm of the couch, putting her arm around Ducky and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Thanks for staying tonight.”

“Jacqueline, I was more than happy to stay. And if I hadn’t stayed I fear Anthony would have spent the night as a guest at Bethesda Naval Hospital. And he would have been much more cranky than he is now.” Ducky stated that last part loud enough so Tony, who was coming down the hall could hear it.

“I heard that. And I can’t disagree,” Tony admitted as he dropped wearily on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

Ducky held up the thermometer and Tony turned his head a little. He figured quiet compliance was the best way to go. The thermometer beeped and Ducky took a glance before showing it to Tony.

“Damn, 100.8. Do we really have to wake Brad up in the middle of the night?” he asked with a sigh.

“I think we can wait until the sun comes up,” Ducky declared. “Jack, does Jethro have Tylenol, it’s too early for more Advil.”

“He does, I’ll go grab it,” Jack said as she headed up the stairs. She found the Tylenol in the medicine cabinet, next to the children’s Tylenol left over from Finn.

“Jack?” she heard Gibbs call out to her as she stepped out of the bathroom. “Everything okay down there?”

“Not exactly,” Jack said as she perched on the edge of the bed. “Remember the night with Finn, the musical beds, the puking and no sleep?” Gibbs just nodded. “Yeah, kind of like that,” Jack chuckled. “I just came up for Tylenol. Ducky’s trying to get Tony settled back down. “You okay?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, just woke up and you were gone,” Gibbs said with a little shrug of his shoulders. Jack just smiled as she brushed back his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“How about you go back to sleep? Someone other than Tali should get some rest,” Jack said quietly. 

“Okay, I’ll try. You yell if you need me down there, okay,” Gibbs said, his affection for Tony and concern over the whole situation coming through in the uncharacteristically soft tone of his voice.

“Promise,” Jack said, crossing her heart with a little smile. She kissed his cheek and headed back downstairs. 

Ducky and Tony were talking quietly when she got back to the living room. Tony was curled up in the corner of the couch; Ducky was sitting on the coffee table. 

“Tali okay?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, sound asleep. Gibbs was awake. Don’t worry I convinced him to go back to sleep and not come down to check on you.”

“Jack, I think I love you,” Tony declared. Ducky chuckled and rolled his eyes a little.

“Okay, somehow you must still be under the influence of the drugs you had 18 hours ago,” Jack teased. “Take these,” she said handing him the Tylenol. 

Tony took the pills and settled back down on the couch. 

“Anthony, do you need anything else?” Ducky asked as he pushed himself to his feet. 

“I don’t suppose Gibbs has Gatorade,” Tony muttered.

“Maybe. Finn was a big fan of it. Might be some left in the pantry. I’ll check,” Jack said as she headed for the kitchen. 

“Still nauseous?” Ducky asked. Tony just nodded. “I believe I have some Compazine. Would you like to try some?”

“Let me guess, you don’t have the Compazine pills?” Tony snorted.

“Afraid not,” Ducky replied, barely concealing a little smile. With an exaggerated sigh Tony got to his feet and followed Ducky to the guest room.

“Found orange and blue,” Jack announced to the empty living room. “Musical beds again?” she muttered to herself as she walked down the hall. The bathroom door was open and light was off. The guest room door was open and she peeked her head in, getting a glimpse of more than she had planned on seeing. “Uh, sorry about that,” she squeaked out as she scurried back to the living room. She heard matching laughs from both Ducky and Tony.

“Okay, do you think it’s time for all of us to get back to sleep?” Ducky asked as he stepped into the bathroom to wash his hands.

“I really do. Thank you for everything, as usual,” Tony said as he headed back to the living room.

“Sorry about that,” Jack said with a little exhausted giggle as Tony dropped onto the couch. 

“Not a problem,” Tony assured her. 

Jack got him settled on the couch with the blue Gatorade, a Tupperware bowl, a cool damp cloth for his forehead and a peck on the cheek.

By 3:30 everyone was once again sleeping, more or less soundly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record...I'm still not a doctor.

Gibbs woke up at 6:14, a minute before the alarm. He crawled out of bed, leaving Jack to get some more sleep. He showered quickly and was standing in front of the sink shaving when Tali wandered in muttering something about having to pee. Gibbs reached behind him to lower the seat as Tali did a little dance, bouncing from one foot to the other. 

“There you go,” he said as he moved out of her way. He went back to shaving, stopping long enough to move and let Tali wash her hands. 

“This where the party is?” Jack asked from the doorway, smiling at the scene in front of her. Gibbs was standing there in boxers and a t-shirt as relaxed as could be. Tali had just dried her hands and was wiping away the bit of shaving cream Gibbs had dabbed on her nose. She was giggling more than someone should be at 6:30 in the morning. “Why don’t you go get dressed. Put your dog in your backpack. Take it downstairs and quietly check on your daddy. He might still be asleep, don’t wake him if he is. Okay?” Jack said as she brushed back the little girl’s out of control curls.

“Okay. Can I have a donut for breakfast?” she asked as turned to head downstairs.

“After cereal or yogurt,” Gibbs called after her.

“Okay Uncle Gibbs,” she yelled back.

“Yeah, she probably just woke Tony,” Jack sighed. Gibbs just laughed and crossed the hall to get dressed.

Much to Jack’s surprise, Tony was still asleep, curled up, facing the back of the couch. She gently reached to press her hand to his forehead, checking his temperature. He felt marginally cooler than the night before. He didn’t stir so she pulled the blanket back over him and let him sleep.

Tali was sitting at the table with a container of yogurt and her book. She was reading aloud to Ducky who was sitting with a cup of tea. He was still a little bleary eyed. Jack was surprised he was up already.

“Did you get any sleep?” Jack asked as she pulled the can of coffee out of the cabinet.

“I did. If Anthony woke up after we all went to bed, he didn’t wake me.”

“Me either.” Jack said as she grabbed the box of mini donuts and wrapped two up in a napkin for Tali.

“Thanks, Jack. When is Aunt Breena picking me up?”

“Not sure, we’ll ask Daddy when he wakes up,” Jack answered as the coffee maker gurgled to life.

Gibbs came down just as the coffee was done. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat next to his favorite 6 year old. 

“We have a plan for today Duck?” Gibbs asked as he took the mug of coffee Jack held out for him.

“Not really. Plans will need to include input from our sleeping patient. I was not planning on working today so I am able to stay if needed.”

“I can work from here,” Jack offered.

“I need to go in, at least for a few hours,” Gibbs said.

All four of them looked up as they heard Tony shuffle into the kitchen. Jack got up, giving Tony a seat to drop into before he fell over. Gibbs handed him a bottle of water and everyone sat quietly, waiting for him to say something.

Finally, everyone started talking at once. Tony held up his hands for them to stop. He pointed to Ducky to speak first.

“How are you feeling Anthony?” Ducky asked, figuring a vague question would get more information than a specific one.

“Well, throat hurts, chest hurts and let’s just say, blue Gatorade looks equally as unappealing coming up as it did going down,” he admitted.

“How many times did you get sick?” Ducky asked.

“Just once more,” Tony sighed.

“Still nauseous this morning?”

“Not too bad. So, who do I get for a babysitter today?” he asked, resigned to the fact that he was not going to be spending the day alone.

“We were just trying to figure that out,” Gibbs explained.

“How about I stick around for a while,” Jack offered. “Ducky you need to go home and get some sleep and Jethro, have another cup of coffee and you’ll be good to go,” she teased as she patted his hand.

“I really don’t need a babysitter,” Tony said, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Sure you don’t,” Gibbs snorted.

Tony tried in vain to get up and prove he could be left alone. He didn’t get very far in his attempt, almost made it to the bathroom before he needed a hand against the wall to stay upright.

“Tali go up and brush your teeth. Bring your toothbrush back down here and put it in your backpack,” Jack said as she picked up the empty yogurt container and tossed it in the trash.

Breena picked up Tali a little before 8:00. Tony walked her to the car and got her strapped in before tossing her backpack on the front seat and taking a minute to thank Breena.

Gibbs and Ducky had left the house by 7:30 so it was just Jack and Tony. She was cleaning up the kitchen when Tony had headed outside with Tali. Jack didn’t hear him come back in after she heard the car pull out of the driveway. She peeked her head out the front door. Tony was sitting on the steps.

“You okay?”

“Been better,” Tony said quietly, glancing over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. Plodding up the steps, Jack greeted him with a sad smile. She took him by the arm and pointed hm in the direction of the couch. 

“How about you try to eat something?” Jack suggested as she sat down on the coffee table.

Ducky had briefly checked Tony out before leaving. Temp was hovering around 99, pulse ox was 98%. The good doctor had left him with a strong suggestion to eat something and to take it easy. The latter was not going to be a problem, the former, that remained to be seen.

“I suppose I should,” Tony sighed. 

“How about we check out the kitchen, see what you might be able to keep down,” Jack offered as she stood up and held out her hand to Tony.

By 10:00 Tony had managed to eat a little bit of oatmeal, take a shower and fold the load of laundry Jack had done the night before. He had also had a short conversation with Ziva, figuring they would have a longer talk later after he had some answers from Brad. Jack did her best to stay out of his way but be close enough if Tony needed anything. She was currently sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop and a few files she’d brought home the night before. Tim, Ducky and Ellie had all checked in with her, asking for an update on Tony. She eventually sent a group text with a little update and a picture of Tony who had just fallen asleep on the couch.

*********

The incessant ringing of Tony’s cell phone woke him a little after noon. He grabbed the offending device and squinted at the readout---Dr. Brad Pitt.

After finishing the brief call he got up to find out where Jack had disappeared to. He found her sitting on the back deck, he was pretty sure she was talking to Gibbs on the phone as she had a big smile on her face.

He went back inside and hunted around for something to eat. Nothing really appealed to him all that much but he knew one of the first questions Brad was going to ask would be about food. He made himself some toast with peanut butter, washing it down with a bottle of iced tea.

“Hey, everything okay?” Jack asked as she came in the back door.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Brad’s coming over in a little while so I’m trying not to freak out. He didn’t sound like he had news of my impending doom, so that’s a good sign,” he laughed nervously.

“Gibbs needs some help with something. You okay if I head in to work?” Tony just glared a little, giving Jack the expected answer to her question. “Okay then,” Jack said with a grin. “Call or text if you need anything,” she added as she closed up her laptop and stuck it in her tote bag. Tony wandered into the living room and settled down with a book.

Jack checked on Tony one last time before heading out to her car.

**************

Tony was sitting on the front steps when Brad’s Jeep pulled in the driveway. He made no effort to get up and meet him halfway, instead waiting where he was.

“Nice to see you dressed and looking halfway human,” Brad teased as he crossed the lawn. He was carrying two shakes from Tony’s beloved and much missed Beltway Burger.

“Feeling halfway human,” Tony said as he stood up. He took the cup Brad held out to him, before shaking his hand. He led Brad into the living room. Brad let his bag slide off his arm and drop onto the couch. “Had to bring the medical supplies?”

“I could have made you come into the office,” Brad pointed out as he took a sip of his shake.

“You want to sit on the deck?” Tony offered.

“Sure,” Brad answered as he followed Tony through the house. “Wow, this house just screams “Gibbs” doesn’t it,” he teased.

“Oh yeah,” Tony chuckled.

They settled down at the table with their shakes.

“So how was your night?” Brad asked. He hadn’t heard from Tony since his text the night before.

“Well, went downhill after we texted,” Tony sighed. “Ever throw up blue Gatorade?”

“Uh, don’t think so,” Brad said with a laugh.

“I don’t recommend it, pretty gross. Anyway, got sick twice, temp did hit 100.8 somewhere around 3 AM. Was 99 this morning.”

“Still sore? Voice still isn’t quite back to normal.”

“Yeah, throat’s still sore, chest too. Coughed up a few clots but none today.”

“Did anyone get any sleep last night?” Brad asked with a grin.

“Gibbs and Tali slept just fine. The rest of us, not so much. Ducky went home this morning to take a nap. Jack worked from here until just before you got here. Gibbs needed her to go in. I took a nap this morning. Still not all that interested in food, but I did eat some oatmeal for breakfast and toast and peanut butter for lunch.”

“Good. You’ll bounce back in a day or two. Don’t push yourself.”

“Okay. Soooooo,” Tony said, dragging out the syllable just to annoy Brad a little.

“Well I have, good news and bad news,” Brad said with a little shrug of his shoulders.

“Of course, you do,” Tony muttered as he ran a finger through the condensation on the cup. 

“Good news first,” he added.

“Of course. To be honest, based on your symptoms and history I was very worried about pulmonary fibrosis. It’s when your lungs become so scarred and damaged that they are stiff, obviously making it hard to breath. It’s progressive and the life expectancy is 3-5 years.” Brad stopped there to give Tony a minute to digest what he’d said. Tony just took a deep breath and nodded. “Based on the testing we did, that’s not the case. When we did the bronchoscopy there wasn’t nearly the scarring I would expect to see with PF. There was some scarring but nothing severe. 

“Okay, so the bad news,” Tony said as he ran a hand through his hair. “Let me guess, you don’t have a diagnosis?”

“Not definitive. Like I said earlier in the week, it doesn’t really surprise me that we didn’t come up with a firm diagnosis. Let’s back up and review a little. So before the plague, any issues with your breathing, asthma as a child, anything like that?” Brad asked. He knew he’d asked all these questions 15 years earlier but he needed a little refresher.

“No asthma but prone to bronchitis and I think croup as a baby,” Tony answered.

“Never smoked right?” Brad asked.

“Certainly tried it a few times over the years but wouldn’t say I was ever a smoker.”

“Good. And since the plague and up until recently, the Advair worked pretty well when you were healthy. Inhaler and steroids when you got sick. You only ended up in the hospital that one time about 7 years ago, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So I think it’s actually a combination of things. The asthma like symptoms you’ve basically had since the plague, ones which remain fairly controlled, up until recently. So then I was leaning towards something called bronchiectasis. Symptoms are close but not exact. With that diagnosis, I would expect much more mucous.”

“Yeah, thankfully I don’t have that,” Tony said as he pulled the straw out of the cup and chewed on it nervously. “Where does that leave us?”

“Basically leaves us with COPD like symptoms. Which certainly can be the result of pneumonia or in your case pneumonic plague. But we usually see it develop after cases of pediatric pneumonia.”

“Well, people do say I’m a big child, or a little too Peter Pan-like,” Tony teased, trying to inject a little levity into the conversation.

Brad gave a little chuckle before continuing. “It can also be caused by exposure to chemicals, which I assume over your years with NCIS happened with some frequency.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we’ve all breathed in plenty of crap over the years, not to mention that one time with the Y-Pestis,” Tony snorted. “So, we’re back to symptom control?”

“Pretty much. I’m not exactly sure what caused all this to happen now, why things got worse recently. Could honestly be something environmental in Paris, something you weren’t exposed to here.”

“So where do we go from here?” Tony asked, realizing quickly that his question of “why” was not likely to be answered.

“Medication options are generally of two types, bronchodilators and inhaled steroids. Because you’ve had recently exacerbations, I’m going to actually suggest a combination inhaler which is both together. Actually, Advair is one of those but obviously it doesn’t seem like it’s working anymore. So, we’ll stop that and try Brio Ellipta. You only need to take it once a day. You’ll still need to keep a rescue inhaler around. Don’t take up smoking, eat properly and get some exercise.”

“Okay then. I suppose taking trip clear across the Atlantic wasn’t necessary,” Tony muttered as he leaned back stretching a little. He was honestly feeling a little foolish at that point.

“Maybe, maybe not. But it’s not like you’ve had a terrible time this week, right?” Brad asked. He was clearly not going to indulge a DiNozzo pity party.

“Well, there were some crappy moments but yeah, it’s been a nice week. Tali has had the time of her life with all her new friends,” Tony said with a smile as he pulled up a couple of photos and slid his phone across the table. Brad did the same with a few photos of Matthew and Megan.

“I’ll send in the script for Brio. You need a rescue inhaler too?” Brad asked.

“Yeah, probably be a good idea,” Tony replied as he stood up from the table. He grabbed the empty cups and headed inside. Brad followed while reading a text from his office manager. “You need to head out?” Tony asked, pointing towards his phone.

“In a little while. Let me just give you a quick once over and I will be out of your hair,” Brad teased as he stuck his phone back in his pocket. 

Tony indulged Brad’s quick assessment without too much complaining. His temperature was normal and pulse ox was in the acceptable range. Brad suggested he pick up a portable pulse oximeter to keep at home. 

“You decide when to fly back home?” Brad asked as he headed into the kitchen to wash his hands after putting everything back in his bag.

“Not sure yet. I mean, I feel better today, but not sure I really feel up to a transatlantic flight alone with a slightly hyper 6 year old.”

“Can’t imagine where Tali gets those tendencies,” Brad snorted.

“Shut up,” Tony muttered as the two of them walked out the front door.

“Okay Buckeye, you take care. I’m always available if you need anything,” Brad said as they stood on the walkway. He hitched his bag up on his shoulder and put on his sunglasses.

“Thanks, for everything,” Tony said quietly.

With a quick hug, Brad climbed into his Jeep and pulled out of the driveway with a wave.

Tony went inside and wandered around for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do. He put some music on and washed the few dishes in the sink, put the sheets from the bed in the guest room in the washer and called to talk to Ziva for a while. She was glad to hear he’d gotten some answers from Brad, however vague they were.

About 3:00 Tony was restless and in need of something to do. A pop-up summer storm had just arrived so taking a walk was out of the question. He could feel the anxiety starting to creep up so he went upstairs to grab his wallet and sneakers. A quick call to Gibbs to ask where the keys to the truck were and he was on his way to NCIS. He figured he could at least hang out for a while, spend some time with friends and in general keep busy.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony stopped at the pharmacy to pick up his prescriptions on the way and by the time he made it to NCIS, most of the team had been called out on a case. Bishop had texted him to give him a heads up in case he just wanted to turn around and go back to Gibbs’ house. She was still in the office, having been ordered to stay behind. She didn’t give a reason why, so Tony curiously continued on to his destination.

When he stepped off the elevator, Tony got the answer to his question. He found Bishop sitting with her feet propped up on her desk, ice pack pressed against her temple. 

“Ouch,” Tony said as Ellie pulled the ice pack away long enough for him to see quickly forming bruise. “What happened?”

“Don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered. She pulled her feet down and tossed the ice pack aside. Tony handed her a white bag from the diner with a little flourish. She pulled out a large chocolate chip cookie. With a deep breath, she carefully pushed herself to her feet and gave Tony a big hug. “You want to sit?” she asked, waving vaguely to the space between her desk and Gibbs’.

“Down there?” Tony asked. Ellie sat down on the floor in front of her filing cabinet, patting the floor next to her with a grin. Tony sat down next to her with a little groan as he lowered himself to the floor.

“You get some answers today?” Ellie asked.

“Some, do you mind if I just wait and do the whole update once when the rest of the team gets back?” Tony asked as he took a piece of the cookie Ellie held out to him. She just nodded. “But have no fear, I’m not dying or anything,” he assured her.

“Good. Where’s Tali today?”

“Breena took her for the day. Tali and Victoria are having a great time,” he said as he showed her some of the pictures Breena had sent her throughout the day.

They chatted about nothing in particular or significant for a little while. A few people wandered by, not giving them a second glance as they sat on the floor. Most people at NCIS were used to the fact that Agent Eleanor Bishop did some of her best work sitting on the floor.

Ellie finished her cookie, tossing the bag in the trashcan under her desk. She curled up next to Tony, putting her head on his shoulder. “I miss this,” she sighed.

“Miss you too, Bishop,” Tony whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “So how’s Nick?” he asked, trying to bite back his urge to tease her. Ziva had filled him in on the budding romance she’d noticed when she was in DC month earlier. 

“Nick?” Ellie answered, trying her best to sound indifferent and clueless. “He’s fine, out on the case with Gibbs.”

“Bishop, please give me some gossip,” Tony said, his voiced inching dangerously close to whining. “I’m getting nothing from Gibbs or Jack about the two of them. I can’t go home to Ziva without any office gossip.

“Fine, but not here,” Ellie said as she nudged him with her shoulder. Tony stood up and pulled her to her feet.

The rain had stopped so they went outside. They headed across the Riverwalk ending up leaning against the railing looking out at the Anacostia River.

“Start talking,” Tony said as he glanced towards the Navy Yard Bridge.

“We’re taking things slow. Every time we get a little comfortable something happens, Nick gets hit by a car, we get completely and personally sucked into a case, whatever. Timing always seems to be working against us. And then there’s Rule #12.”

“Ignore that rule, I hope it’s going out the window soon,” Tony said with a grin.

“Me too, and not just for us. I like him, bottom line. I’ll admit I didn’t want to like him, it was certainly easier when we basically barely got along.”

“How’s he feel about you?” Tony asked as he turned himself around, leaning back on the railing looking out over the NCIS complex he’d called home for so many years. 

“The same. We’ve been out on a few dates, I guess you could call them. We have a great time together. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. I have to admit It was a little weird on the 4th of July when we hung out at the house with Gibbs and Jack, almost like a double date. Gibb has never said anything, made any mention of Rule #12. Never glares at us when he finds us together in the office, a little too close to each other. He’s changed, don’t you think?” Ellie asked as she pushed herself up to sit on the railing, facing NCIS. 

“Yeah, he’s changed. That’s all Jack. Bottom line, I think he wants to be happy but it scares the crap out of him. And he wants his “kids” to be happy,” Tony said as he pushed himself up on the railing, throwing his arm around Ellie. 

“Yeah, deep down he does. I just think he and Jack need a big shove in the same direction.”

“Or a slap to the back of the head,” Tony mused. Ellie just laughed and nodded in agreement. Her text alert went off and she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jeans.

“Nick, he wants to know where we are,” she said as she sent a quick reply. “They’re back. You wanna join us, for old times’ sake?” Ellie asked as she slid off the railing.

“Couldn’t stop me,” Tony said with a grin. He threw his arm over Ellie’s shoulders as they crossed the Riverwalk and went back through the gate.

************

Tony just took a seat at Gibbs’ desk, watching as his former teammates and Nick did their thing. He grinned at the way McGee took charge, fully comfortable in his role as Senior Field Agent. Tony never had any doubt that Tim could do the job but seeing him do it with such ease made his heart swell just a bit with pride, knowing that no matter how much of a hard time he’d given McGee over the years, he’d taught him well.

When the progress on the case slowed the team starting questioning Tony about his appointments. They eventually wandered down to autopsy so Jimmy could be a part of the conversation. Jimmy offered to get Ducky on the phone but Tony explained he’d already talked to the good doctor right after Brad had left Gibbs’ house.

Tony explained everything quickly. Before the team could ask too many questions Kasie appeared with some results from her forensic testing on the case.

Tony offered to make a coffee run as the team got back to work. While he did he talked to Breena who asked if Tali could spend the night. Tony assured her that he was fine and she didn’t need to do that but Breena insisted. The girls were attached at the hip and having the time of their lives. Tony thanked her profusely and promised to take the girls the next day to give her and Jimmy some time alone.

***********

When the work slowed and the coffee was gone the team started to scatter from the bullpen. Jack and Ellie headed out for a drink, apparently no guys were allowed. Tim headed home for movie night with Delilah and the kids. Jimmy went to pick up pizza to take home for dinner.

“You want to grab something for dinner?” Gibbs asked as he shoved a few things in his backpack and retrieved his weapon from the drawer.

“Not sure what I feel like doing,” Tony admitted. He’d been on the go most of the day and it was starting to catch up with him. “How about we just go back to the house and decide from there?”

“Works for me. You okay to drive the truck?” Gibbs asked as they headed for the elevator.

“Yes, boss,” Tony said, lunging forward a little to get out of the way of Gibbs hand coming towards the back of his head.

***********

When they got back to the house, Tony rested out on the deck for a little while. Gibbs changed into shorts and a t-shirt before going back downstairs and rummaging through the refrigerator looking for something to make for dinner. He pulled a couple of chicken breasts out and dumped a little marinade on them. He found a bag of fries and some broccoli in the freezer, that would be plenty for the two of them. A peek out the back door let him know Tony was sound asleep. He grabbed a beer and his book before heading out to the deck himself.

Tony woke up a little before 7, just as Gibbs was lighting the grill to start dinner. He rubbed his eyes a little and found his glasses on the little table next to the lounger he was currently occupying. He glanced at his cell, no missed calls and only one text from Brad. 

“Need help?” he asked Gibbs as he stood up.

“Yeah, chicken is on the counter. Oven should be ready, just toss the fries in,” Gibbs called over his shoulder.

“You need another beer?” Tony asked.

“Sure.”

They worked together to get dinner on the table half an hour later.

**********

“Nice to see you eat,” Gibbs said, motioning towards Tony’s empty plate.

“Yeah, I feel better now. Chest feels better and throat is getting there. Suppose I should think about making plane reservations to fly home,” Tony muttered as he reached for his beer. 

“I’m in no hurry to get rid of the two of you, but I’m sure Ziva misses you both,” Gibbs said as he pushed his plate away and reached for his own beer.

“She does. I talked to her for a long time after Brad left this afternoon.”

“Good. Brad say anything else you didn’t want to share with everyone?” Gibbs asked. Tony’s explanation in autopsy had been fairly short and sweet.

“Just that what he had originally thought it could be was something called Pulmonary Fibrosis, which has a life expectancy of 3-5 years. So, I guess I dodged that bullet,” Tony muttered as he held up his beer, clinking it against the bottle in Gibbs’ hand.

“Thank God,” Gibbs said with a smile. “Wonder how girls’ night is going,” he mused, more to himself than Tony. His companion gave a little snort and Gibbs tried in vain to give an effective glare. “You have something to say, DiNozzo?”

“Oh, I have lots of things to say. Where to start? So what is going on with you and Jack?” he asked as he pulled a spare chair around to prop his feet up, clearly making himself comfortable. 

Gibbs just shook his head a little, clearly not sure how to answer that question. He passed his now empty bottle of beer between his hands a few times before standing up. “I’ll be right back,” he muttered as he headed inside. He came back a minute later with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses.

He poured a healthy amount for both of them, handing a glass to Tony. 

“To our women, as beautiful as they are and as frustrating as they can be.” Tony said with a smirk as he held out his glass to Gibbs, who just nodded as he tapped his glass to Tony’s. “You going to actually answer my question?” When Gibbs didn’t make any effort to answer Tony just started rambling a little. “From what I see, she adores you. You seem so comfortable together here at the house, at NCIS not quite so much. But we can talk about that later. You’re happier than I’ve seen you in…in well ever, probably. Is she pushing for more and you’re not ready, or the other way around? Are you two happy with how things are now, cause that’s cool too, I guess.”

“You about done DiNozzo?” Gibbs growled as he learned forward a little, propping an elbow up on the table, resting his chin in his hand. Tony just nodded as he knocked back a large mouthful of bourbon. “We’re pretty much where we’ve been for over a year. Comfortably stuck in one place.”

“Comfortably?” Tony asked, eyebrows raised, challenging Gibbs’ answer a little.

“More or less. We feel safe with each other. There are not any great expectations, minimal strings attached.”

“I get it, I suppose,” Tony started. “You’ve been through a lot in your life and from what you’ve told me about Jack and what she’s shared with me, well, she’s hasn’t always had it easy either. And feeling safe is nice. But doesn’t the thought of more ever cross your mind?”

“Of course it does DiNozzo, I’m old, not dead. It’s just been a long time. A few months ago we almost took a big step but the timing just wasn’t right,” Gibbs said as he finished his drink and reached for the bottle.

“Timing wasn’t right? That sounds like a load of crap,” Tony said, a little bit harsher than he had intended. Gibbs just held up his hand to stop Tony from continuing. He pushed himself to his feet and started to pace the deck. Tony stayed where he was, quietly. He knew Gibbs well enough to know that he was getting his thoughts in order and was likely to start talking.

“It was the day I got back from Pearl Harbor. I was, as you can imagine, pretty much a mess. I let Jack meet me at Andrews. We came back here,” Gibbs started as he stood, hands braced on the back of the chair he’d just vacated. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I lost it, cried harder than I have cried since Shannon and Kelly died. Jack just held me as she always does. I think she kissed me and I kissed her back and then I just tried to take things further. Probably out of a need to feel alive, to feel something. She gently pushed me away, as she should have. We realized neither of us wanted our first time to be out of grief or pity.”

“Wow, talking to Grace has really changed you,” Tony said, meaning no disrespect at all. 

“It has,” Gibbs said simply. “And that was a few months ago. We talked a little bit later that day and then fell right back to where we’ve been for a long time.”

“Are you happy?” Tony asked simply. 

Gibbs raked a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Yeah,” Gibbs declared with a little nod of his head.

“Good, cause that’s the only thing that really matters,” Tony said.

“What about you? Are you happy?” Gibbs asked as he sat back down.

“Getting there,” Tony said with a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s still complicated, that’s for sure. Tali’s happy and that’s the most important thing right now.”

“Yeah,” Gibbs agreed with a little sigh of his own.

They stayed out on the deck for a long time, chatting about nothing in particular, reliving some old times. Gibbs eventually wandered inside to use the bathroom and grab a bottle of water. Tony’s text alert went off. It was few pictures from Jack, clearly she and Ellie were enjoying themselves. He drained his beer and leaned back to respond to her pictures.

_AD-please tell me you’re taking an Uber home._

_JS-Bar was too crowded. We’re at my place and Bishop is staying. How are things there?_

_AD-we’re about as sober as the two of you, which is to say, not sober at all_

_JS-Jethro?_

_AD-a little chattier than usual_

_JS-anything I should now about?_

_JS-sorry, not sure I have the right to ask that_

_AD-Jack the two of you need to get your act together. You know, fish or cut bait_

_AD-sorry that was inappropriate_

_JS-don’t worry about it, you’re drunk. And so am I_

_JS-chatty about what?_

_AD-the day he got home from Pearl Harbor_

_JS-oh god_

_AD-don’t worry about it, he might not even remember the conversation in the morning_

_JS-really, have you ever known Gibbs to forget anything?_

_AD-nope_

_JS-I gotta go, pizza is here. Sleep well, give Gibbs a kiss for me._

_AD-what???_

_JS-shutting up now_

_AD-good night_

Tony was still laughing at the whole exchange when Gibbs reappeared with two bottles of water.

“What the hell is so funny?” Gibbs asked as he tossed a water bottle at Tony who somehow managed to catch it.

“Pictures from Jack,” Tony explained, quickly showing him the pictures, but not the text messages.

“Looks like fun,” Gibbs muttered as he sat down on the edge of one of the lounge chairs. He finished his water and eventually stretched out. Tony finished cleaning up from dinner.

A little after 11, he went back out to wake Gibbs up enough to get him to go to bed.

“Boss, wake up,” Tony said as he gently shook Gibbs’ shoulder.

“Not your Boss,” he muttered in reply.

“I’m going to bed, you might want to head inside, it’s supposed to rain,” Tony teased as he headed inside.

Gibbs fell back to sleep and woke up 10 minutes later when the rain started. Mumbling more than a few choice phrases he headed inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony and Gibbs went to the diner for breakfast. They were slightly hung over and figured diner food was the perfect antidote. Elaine was thrilled to see Tony again and welcomed him with a big, fully expected hug. 

While they ate Tony texted back and forth with Jimmy, making plans for the day.

“You sure you’re okay with Tali and Victoria running around your house today?” Tony asked as he absently stirred his coffee.

Gibbs just glared a little. “Maybe we should do something with them,” he muttered as he vaguely waved his forkful of scrambled eggs around, causing a few bits to fly off and land on the table.

“Like what? You have any ideas?” Tony asked as he reached for his last piece of bacon.

“Well, they’ve done the zoo and the Museum of Natural History. What did they do yesterday?”

“Went to the park and had a picnic. Then they played on the slip ‘n slide,” Tony said with a chuckle.

“What?” Gibbs asked with a little shrug of his shoulders.

“I can’t believe we are having a conversation about how to entertain two little girls and you don’t look like you want to run screaming out of here,” Tony snorted.

“Air and Space Museum?” Gibbs suggested.

“Perfect,” Tony agreed as he motioned for Elaine to bring the check.

Tony was still trying to wrap his mind around the changes he was seeing in Gibbs. But rather than sit and contemplate them, he figured he was just go along for the ride.

***************

Jimmy met them back at the house about 10:30, once again asking if Gibbs was sure he was okay with having Victoria for the day. That earned him a little glare from Gibbs and a shrug of the shoulders from Tony.

The girls were thrilled to find out they were going to go see the airplanes and rockets. Victoria had been there before and took great pride in telling Tali all about it on the Metro ride into the city. The Metro had been Tali’s idea, Victoria had also told her all about the trains under the streets and the really steep escalators, setting Tali’s natural curiosity into overdrive. They parked the car near Arlington National Cemetery and just cut through the sacred grounds to the Metro Station.

Tali was enthralled by the Metro after getting on at street level in Arlington and exiting underground at L’ Enfant Plaza near the Air and Space Museum.

“Daddy, did we really go under the river?” Tali asked as the got on the escalator.

“We did,” Tony assured her as he took her by the hand.

“Hold my hand please,” Victoria said as he held out her hand to Gibbs.

“As you wish,” Gibbs said as he held out his hand as the pair stepped on the escalator.

“Hey, that’s from the Princess Bride movie,” Victoria said with a big grin.

“Yep.”

“Oh my god, you just used a movie reference, correctly,” Tony teased as he looked back over his shoulder at the pair behind him. He was rewarded with the fully expected blue eyed glare.

***********

The girls had the time of their lives in the museum. While they liked the planes they were more interested in the rockets and the other space related exhibits. It was surprisingly not too crowded for a summer weekend and they were able to wander around a bit in the Space Shuttle exhibit without Gibbs and Tony right by their sides. The two of them actually ended up sitting down on the floor in front of the Space Shuttle launch video, completely entranced by it. They touched the moon rock and posed in front of the Moon landing mural in the lobby.

Tony took plenty of pictures of the two of them to send to Jimmy and Ziva. 

***************

“Where are we going next?” Tali asked as they exited the museum onto Jefferson Drive across The Mall from the National Gallery of Art. 

“You two hungry?” Tony asked.

“Yes,” the pair chorused as they held hands and stepped out of the way of a group of tourists coming in their direction. The foursome crossed the street, making their way onto The Mall. 

“Think a food truck is better than trying to find somewhere to sit down?” Tony asked Gibbs as he pointed off to their left where a whole line of food trucks were set up.

“Definitely,” Gibbs answered as the girls took off running in the large expanse of grass in the middle of the Mall.

“You watch them, I’ll get food,” Tony offered.

Ten minutes later the four of them settled down on the grass with chicken fingers for the girls and cheeseburgers for Tony and Gibbs. 

After they ate the girls ran around for a little bit while Tony and Gibbs chatted about nothing in particular.

“Can we go see that?” Tali asked as she pointed in the direction of the Washington Monument.

“I suppose we could,” Tony said as he stood up. He held out his hand to pull Gibbs to his feet. He got a glare in response, but Gibbs also took up the offer of the hand.

The girls ran ahead, stopping at each street to wait for Tony and Gibbs so they could cross safely.

“God, what I wouldn’t do for their energy,” Gibbs muttered as they crossed 15th Street, the four of them holding hands, the girls in the middle, adults on the ends.

“You and me both,” Tony agreed with a laugh.

“Grandpa Jethro, can we run up the hill?” Victoria asked as she pointed to the looming white marble monument in front of them.

“I’m sure you two can. Uncle Tony and I cannot,” he grinned. “Wait for us on a bench when you get up there. Go,” he added with a smile as he gave the smiling pair a wave.

“Okay,” the girls yelled over their shoulders as they took off up the hill. 

Tony and Gibbs trudged up the hill, keeping the girls in their sight. They met the girls, as requested, on a bench at the top of the hill. They sat down and the girls took off, weaving in and out of the flag poles, circling around the monument, giggling the whole time.

“Tali is going to have a hard time going home,” Tony muttered as he stretched his legs out in front of him. 

“Yeah, she is. You make reservations yet?” Gibbs asked as he leaned over, elbows on his knees.

“No, I should do that tonight,” Tony sighed.

“You not ready to go home?” Gibbs asked as he glanced over his shoulder in Tony’s direction. Tony just shrugged his shoulders. “You sure everything is okay at home?” Gibbs asked.

Tony just looked at his former boss. He started to just give a vague “yeah fine” but he’d known Gibbs long enough to know that wasn’t going to fly. “Talk later?” he asked as he looked up to see the girls heading towards them.

“Over bourbon,” Gibbs said as he smiled at the girls. “What’s up?”

“We’re hot,” Tali announced, Victoria nodding in agreement. 

“Well, I have half a bottle of warm water,” Tony said as he opened up his backpack.

“Yuck,” they both agreed.

“I think we can find something,” Gibbs said as he pointed in the general direction of the White House.

They walked up 15th street to the line of food trucks next to the Ellipse. Gibbs bought ice cream for everyone and they walked around the corner to Freedom Plaza to sit down and enjoy their treat. The girls watched the skateboarders doing tricks.

“Can I get a skateboard?” Tali asked as she pointed to a little boy only a year or so older than her doing some simple tricks under the watchful eye of his mother.

“We can discuss that with Ima when we get home,” Tony replied. Tali seemed satisfied with the answer.

“When are we going home? I’m not in a hurry but I kinda miss Ima,” Tali said as she sat down on Tony’s lap.

“Well, today is Saturday. I have to make some plane reservations tonight. We’ll probably leave on Tuesday. So you have a few more days to play with your friends.”

“Can I see Johnny and Morgan before we leave?” Tali asked.

“I think we can arrange that,” Tony said as he pulled a package of wipes out of the backpack. He handed one to each of the girls so they could get rid of some of the ice cream they both seemed to be wearing.

“We can have everyone over tomorrow for a barbeque. How does that sound?” Gibbs asked as he stood up and took the girls by the hand.

They walked to the Metro and headed for home. By the time they’d walked back through Arlington and made it to Gibbs’ car, the girls were fading fast.

They stopped by the Palmer house so Victoria could pick up some pajamas and clothes for the next day as during the Metro ride the girls decided they didn’t want to end their playdate. Their matching pleading faces only took about 30 seconds for Tony and Gibbs to agree to a sleepover. 

***************

A pop up summer storm hit right as they got home. The girls settled down on the couch with a movie and a snack while Gibbs sat on the porch and talked to Jack. Tony rummaged through the kitchen for something east to make for dinner. 

The girls ate their hot dogs and fries while they watched Moana. Tony and Gibbs ate in the kitchen, making a very clear decision to not talk about anything of importance until after the girls went to sleep.

“Daddy, can we go outside?” Tali asked as the pair appeared in the kitchen as Gibbs was washing the dishes and Tony mixing up a batch of brownies for dessert.

“Sweetie, it’s pouring,” Tony answered as he glanced out the window.

“It’s okay, we won’t melt,” Tali said, with all the seriousness a 6 year old was capable of using. Victoria just nodded in agreement.

“Fine, but please do not run back in here soaking wet when you’re done,” Tony explained. “Just come in the back door and stand on the mat, okay?” They both nodded and all but ran for the door.

Gibbs watched from the door for a little while, huge smile on his face. The girls waved and motioned for him to come out with them. Gibbs toed off his sneakers and pulled off his socks, tossing them in the corner of the kitchen. He left his wallet and cell phone on the kitchen table and joined the girls out in the rain. Tony took some pictures and a short video from the slider. He sent them to Ziva, Jimmy and Jack.

Jack was the first to respond, within 30 seconds.

_JS-What in the world is going on there?”_

_AD-Gibbs cannot say no to those two_

_JS-Yeah kids have that effect on him. How was the day?_

_AD-Air and Space Museum, lunch on the mall, Washington Monument, ice cream, dinner and now dancing in the rain. Going to have brownies for dessert and a sleepover._

_JS-sounds great and exhausting._

_AD-pretty much. BBQ tomorrow. Tali wants to see Johnny and Morgan before we head home._

_JS-you make reservations_

_AD-doing that in a little while. See you tomorrow?_

_JS-of course. You guys have a nice night, kiss the girls._

_AD-I will._

Tony took the brownies out of the oven and grabbed a stack of towels. 

Gibbs opened the slider and the girls stepped in, standing right on the mat as instructed. Tony wrapped them up in a pair of towels and sent them upstairs.

“Uh, what happened to you?” Tony asked as he motioned towards the large smear of mud on Gibbs’ left leg.

“We were playing tag?” Gibbs snorted as he took the towel Tony was holding out to him.

“Let me guess, you lost,” Tony snickered. 

“Don’t you have wet children to deal with, DiNozzo?”

“Yeah,” Tony answered as he headed up the stairs. 

He got the girls in the shower and gathered up a load of laundry including the girls’ wet clothes. He set their pajamas out on the bed and headed downstairs. 

***********

By 8:30 the brownies were all but gone. The girls headed upstairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. They clamored back done, teeth clean, begging to watch a movie. Tony was sitting on the couch, looking very comfortable.

“Nope, not tonight. It’s late, how about a story?” Tony offered.

“Okay.”

“I’ll do the story,” Gibbs offered as he took a look at Tony who seemed to have lost what little energy he’d had an hour ago.

“Thanks.”

***********

Almost an hour later, Gibbs had not come back downstairs so Tony went up to check on everyone and to get changed for bed. He took his phone with him, something told him he was about to walk into a photo opportunity.

And he was right.

He found the three of them sitting on Gibbs’ bed sound asleep. He was in the middle with a sleeping little girl on either side. There was a book in his lap and his reading glasses were sliding down his nose.

Tony snapped a quick picture, the click of the shutter waking Gibbs up with a start. He gave a little smile at the sleeping pair. He motioned for Tony to move one of them so he could get up. Tony scooped up Tali while Gibbs stood up. They got the girls under the covers and turned out the light. 

Gibbs headed downstairs while Tony sent the picture to Jimmy, Jack and Ziva before changing into his pajamas.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Ziva lovers out there...please avert your eyes.

Gibbs was already sitting at the end of the couch, bare feet propped on the coffee table. He had a glass in his hand, clearly having started drinking without Tony. He gave a little nod in the direction of the second glass on the table. Tony picked it up and settled down in the corner of the couch, knees pulled up.

“What are we drinking to?” Gibbs asked as he held up his glass.

Tony took a second to contemplate his answer before whispering, “To finding peace.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Gibbs whispered back tapping his glass against Tony’s. “I’d really like to find it too,” he added. They both knocked back what was in their glasses quickly. Gibbs refilled them as Tony pulled off his glasses and tossed them aside as he tried to get his thoughts in some kind of order. The things he was about to discuss were things he’d never given voice to, never shared with anyone outside of the confidentially of his therapy sessions. “Do I need to channel Grace and start asking questions?”

“No, but that could be amusing,” Tony snorted. The look he got from Gibbs told him to start talking, fast. “Things aren’t exactly rainbows and flowers at home,” he started simply.

“Not surprising,” Gibbs muttered.

“When Ziva left DC for the last time and headed for Paris, I spent the entire time she was in the air dreaming about how things would be. We’d be this perfect little family. Breakfast in the corner café, sharing coffee and French pastries. Ziva and I would walk Tali to school, hand in hand. After that we would spend our days working together. Doing what, I wasn’t too sure at the time. Weekends would be spent traveling around Europe, showing Tali places I’d only dreamed of at her age. I guess my expectations were a little unrealistic, to say the least,” Tony said with a sigh.

“So things haven’t been easy? Not surprising. What in particular?” Gibbs prompted.

“It’s just harder in general. Like I told Tim a few days ago, when Ziva came back into my life, back into our lives, Tali and I were comfortable in our routine, our little life. She was thrilled that her beloved Ima was coming back. Not sure how much she remembered of Ziva, sometimes I think it was just the idea of her, if that makes any sense.”

“It does,” Gibbs assured him. “How is Tali really handling things?”

“It’s been rough, not gonna lie. She talks to someone weekly, so do I. Ziva chooses not to. She thinks ignoring her mental health is the way to go. And if I’ve learned anything since leaving NCIS, it’s certainly not the right way to handle things. He solution is to pop some pills and get on with her day. Now, I’m certainly not against meds, not at all. I take something every day. But medication isn’t a cure, it’s a tool. Therapy has taught me that.”

“Me too,” Gibbs agreed with a half smirk as he took a sip of his drink.

“It’s been 7 months and Tali still calls for me when she wakes in the middle of the night or when she falls off her bike. Ziva goes back and forth between quietly resenting that fact and taking it out on me. Since becoming a father, I try to live my life truthfully and above board. It’s the least I can do for my child.”

“Same can’t be said for Ziva?” Gibbs guessed.

“No,” Tony said simply as he pushed himself to his feet and started to pace around a little. “I know Ziva loves Tali, I’ve never questioned that but there’s a hell of a difference between loving your child and wanting to be a full-time parent. I don’t know that Ziva wants that. And if she doesn’t, I can live with that, she just needs to be truthful, with me and with Tali.”

Tony walked to the back door and glanced out at the rain. He made no effort to continue speaking.

“What DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked over his shoulder when it was clear Tony was both not finished talking and having trouble getting his thoughts in order.

“I know how you feel about Ziva, you love her like a daughter and I don’t want to have the problems the two of us are having make an impact on your relationship with her,” Tony said as he wandered back into the living room, standing in front of the fireplace, hands braced on the mantle. 

“And I love you like a son,” Gibbs said. 

While Gibbs words were nothing short of sincere, they were just meant as a statement of fact, a fact he’d hoped Tony had known to be true for a very long time. But the words struck Tony in a way neither of them had expected.

Gibbs watched as Tony’s grip on the wooden mantle tightened and his head dropped just a little lower. In the silence of the room, Gibbs heard Tony take a deep, ragged breath. With a sigh of his own Gibbs pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room towards Tony. 

“Sit down,” Gibbs said as he patted Tony’s shoulder.

Tony scrubbed his hand over his eyes and shuffled back to the couch, sitting down on the end. Gibbs walked around the coffee table, picking up the bottle as he did. He held out the bottle in Tony’s direction. With a little wave of his hand, Tony declined the offer. Gibbs knocked back a mouthful and sat down next to Tony.

“Didn’t mean to shock you, Tony. What I said couldn’t have been a surprise,” Gibbs said as he kept his gaze straight ahead, not looking at Tony. If he had he would have been faced with a few tears Tony was desperately trying to control.

“No boss, wasn’t a surprise. But nice to hear,” Tony whispered.

Gibbs gave a patented little half smirk and dip of his chin. “My feelings about Ziva are mine and mine alone. They have nothing to do with our relationship. But that being said you came first and if I had to choose, you would win.”

“Thanks,” Tony snorted as a turned to lean against the arm of the couch, pulling his legs up. Gibbs moved over a little to give him room.

“DiNozzo.” Tony just glanced at his mentor. “What’s going on now?”

“Too many lies and secrets, both past and present. I admit I am not over the way Ziva kept the fact that she was alive from me for way too long. My head understands the reasons, it really does I suppose, but,”

“But your heart doesn’t. Makes perfect sense to me. I understand the past secrets, what’s going on now?” Gibbs asked.

“Since Tali and I moved to Paris I have made it my life’s work to make a safe, normal life for her. I decided not to work full time, thankfully I’m financially able to do that. When I do consulting work, I can usually do most of it from home. When I’m not there, I know Tali is well taken care of by our part time nanny.”

“You don’t trust Ziva to take care of Tali?”

“No,” Tony answered simply. “She hasn’t shown me that I can. She’s all over the place most of the time. Doesn’t take care of herself, not addressing her own issues. What exactly her job is, I’m not too sure. I don’t pry cause I don’t want to fight. I imagine what she does isn’t exactly above board and I do worry about Tali’s safety.” He stopped to let what he’d said sink in with Gibbs who was reaching for the bottle.

Gibbs took a long swallow, trying to decide what to say.

“So, not exactly the life you expected 7 months ago when Ziva was on her way to Paris.”

“Not at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a life of horror. We do have some good times. Tali is happy when the 3 of us are doing things together. Going out to eat, spending time in the park, watching a movie, doesn’t matter to her. But no, it’s not the life I expected when I found out Ziva was alive.”

“All this is why Ziva didn’t come with you?”

“I didn’t ask her to come. Honestly, I didn’t want her to come. I suppose that was selfish on my part.” Tony said.

“Why?” Gibbs asked. Tony just gave Gibbs a little glance.

“Cause if she came, everyone would be thrilled to see her,” Gibbs guessed. “Well, except for Jack but that’s not important right now,” he added with a little chuckle.

“I don’t think I would have made it through this week in one piece if I had to watch people fawn over her, be excited to see her,” Tony said as he took a deep breath and put his head in his hands.

“Especially me?” Gibbs asked as he glanced at Tony.

“Yeah,” Tony admitted.

“Like I said a few minutes ago, you came first, you win. Hell, I put too many years into making you into what you are today to just throw that away,” Gibbs snorted. Tony gave a little chuckle despite trying his best not to do so. “What happens now?”

“I don’t want to walk away, to give up everything, maybe even leave Paris. But my focus has to be Tali, she’s the most important player in all of this.”

“True, but don’t forget to look out for yourself, Tony,” Gibbs said as he reached out to pat Tony’s knee. 

“Never thought I’d see the day I would be taking personal advice from you,” Tony snorted as he pushed himself to his feet. It took a few seconds for him to get his bearings. Gibbs reached out to steady him. 

“Never thought I’d be in any position to give any. And before you even think about saying something, we are not talking about Jack and I tonight,” he snorted. “How about another brownie?”

“Sure,” Tony said with a grin.

They finished the brownies and Tony went up to check on the girls while Gibbs talked to Jack on the phone.

The girls were sound asleep, curled up back to back each other them with their beloved stuffed animals, Tali with a dog and Victoria with a lamb. Tony snapped a quick picture and straightened out the covers before brushing his teeth. He wasn’t quite ready to sleep so he went back downstairs to see what Gibbs was up to. He wasn’t in the living room or kitchen but the basement light was on, so Tony slipped on his sneakers and went down to see what Gibbs was up to.

“Good night, Jack,” Gibbs said into his cell as he glanced over his shoulder to see Tony coming down.

“Don’t hang up on my account,” Tony said.

“Nah, I didn’t. She was falling asleep on the phone. Girls okay?”

“Sound asleep,” Tony said as he held out his phone, showing Gibbs the picture he’d just taken. Gibbs smiled and picked up a piece of sandpaper.

“You gonna help me?” Gibbs asked, pointing to the piece of wood in front of him.

“I think I’ll pass. Not in the mood to inhale sawdust,” Tony said as he leaned against the railing. “I should go up and make some plane reservations. You okay with us staying until Tuesday?”

Gibbs just glared a little. “Yeah, thanks,” Tony said as he turned to go back up the stairs.

Tony grabbed his laptop out of his backpack and settled down at the kitchen table with a bottle of water. With a deep breath and more than a bit of uncertainty he opened up the Air France website.

Twenty minutes later he had reservations for late Tuesday morning and a brewing headache. He took some Advil and stretched out on the couch to watch television.

Gibbs came upstairs a little before midnight. Tony was sound asleep, an old black and while movie playing on the television. Gibbs kicked off his shoes and crossed to turn the television off. He grabbed the blanket and tossed it over Tony’s sleeping form. 

He leaned over and brushed back Tony’s hair a bit, as he’d done a handful of times over the years. Distinct memories came to mind, one of an isolation tent bathed in blue light, then Tony struggling to breath in the bathroom upstairs, and finally the two of them saying goodbye in the basement when Tony left for Paris. Gibbs leaned over and whispered in Tony’s ear, “You will get through this DiNozzo. I got your six.” He pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead and stood up straight.

Gibbs headed for the guest room, shaking his head to rid himself of the memories

“Thanks, Boss,” Tony whispered without opening his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

Tony slept for a while before waking up. He fumbled around for his cell to check the time, 1:13. That would explain why he didn’t exactly feel well rested, he’d been asleep less than 2 hours. His head was still pounding and it was too soon for more Advil. With a groan he was sure would wake up Gibbs, he stood up and headed down the hall to use the bathroom.

Knowing he wasn’t very likely to just fall back to sleep, he wandered into the kitchen for something to drink. He grabbed a can of ginger ale from the fridge in the hopes that it would settle his stomach a bit. Feeling beyond restless, he stuck his head out the back door to get a breath of fresh air. It was still drizzling so he didn’t stand there for very long.

Tony finished the soda and flinched as the empty can rattled in the recycling bin in the corner of the kitchen. Remembering he had clothes in the dryer he padded into the laundry room and brought the pile into the living room, dropping it on the couch. He folded the clothes, setting aside Victoria’s outfit.

After wandering around for a few more minutes, he grabbed his glasses out of the living room, sat down at the kitchen table and tapped his laptop to wake it up. With a sigh he opened up his email, something he hadn’t done in a few days. He quickly deleted everything he could and soon he was face to face with a couple of bills, a few things work related and at the top of the feed, an email from Ziva from a few hours earlier. He’d emailed an update earlier in the day with their plane reservations.

With a sigh he pushed his glasses up on his nose and clicked to open it.

_Tony,_

_I am happy to hear you are feeling better. I had hoped you would get some real answers from Dr. Pitt but I guess what you learned will have to do._

_Thank you for letting me know when you will return with Tali. I do miss her, but is likely I will not be here when you get home. I need to go to Israel to take care of some….things. I will return in a few weeks. Kiss Tali for me and Gibbs too._

_I do wish you well, despite what you may think right now._

_Ziva_

Tony read the email twice, not that he really needed to do so. His fingers hovered over the keyboard to answer her back. But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t quite get his fingers to move. After glancing at the empty reply box for a few minutes, he closed it, giving up on answering her right then and there. There were a few emails about possible jobs, so he went to the living room to grab the battered leather notebook out of his backpack. As he pulled it out a picture slipped out and fluttered onto the couch. With a sigh he picked it up and turned it over. It was a ridiculous selfie he’d convinced Ziva to take with him the day before he left her in Israel. They looked so young and happy and it seemed like a hundred years earlier. He slipped it back in the book where it belonged, where it had been since the day he’d had it printed, the day after he returned to DC.

Brushing aside the memories he took the book back to the kitchen table. He spent the next hour or so answering emails and making notes for possible consulting gigs. A few of them looked interesting and more importantly they seemed like jobs he could do close to home as it looked as if he were going to spend the next few weeks as a single parent. A situation he was used to and quite content to do.

By 3:00 he was nodding off as he was scrolling through Facebook so he took some more Advil and curled back up on the couch, hoping sleep would come quickly.

It did for a change.

*************

Gibbs was up at his normal 6:15, padding to the kitchen to start the coffee maker. He checked to make sure he had supplies to make pancakes as Tali had reminded him the night before that he had promised to make them for her one more time before she went home. He found everything he needed and set it out on the counter. 

As the coffee brewed, he grabbed the newspaper off the front porch, glancing at Tony as he passed through the living room. He was sound asleep. The fact that his laptop and notebook were on the kitchen table was a sign that Tony hadn’t exactly slept through the night. 

A few minutes before 7:00 Gibbs heard the patter of small feet and two little voices making their way down the stairs. He poked his head out of the kitchen and put his finger to his lips to shush the giggling pair so they didn’t wake up Tony.

“Can we have pancakes?” Tali asked.

“Please Grandpa Jethro,” Victoria begged. 

“All ready got the stuff out,” he said as he motioned towards the counter. “Pull up some chairs and you two can help out.”

The girls were in their glory, having Gibbs’ undivided attention. He made them hot chocolate and they helped him make a huge stack of pancakes and a package of sausage. 

Jack came in the front door just as Gibbs was taking the last few pancakes off the griddle. She gave Tony’s sleeping form a little smile as she headed for the kitchen, following the sounds of giggles and the smell of breakfast.

“Hey, morning,” Gibbs said as he put the plate of pancakes on the table. Jack came into the room and kissed his cheek. She took the cup of coffee he was holding out to her with a smile.

“Told you she’s his girlfriend,” Tali whispered to Victoria, not quite as quietly as she thought. It was an honestly inherited DiNozzo trait.

Jack and Gibbs just smiled at each other. 

The four of them were well on their way to eating most of the food when Jack set aside a plate for Tony. 

“Uncle Gibbs, are we having a big party today?” Tali asked as she put her plate and cup in the sink.

“Well, not as big as last weekend, but Uncle Tim and Aunt Delilah are coming with the twins. I assume you wanted to know about Johnny and Morgan,” Gibbs answered as he turned on the dishwasher.

“You two want to bake a cake for later?” Jack asked as she divided the rest of the coffee between her mug and Gibbs’.

“Yes,” the two girls chorused. 

Gibbs got out of their way, sitting at the table with his coffee and the Sunday paper. He read while they mixed the cake and got it in the oven. When they were done, Jack sent the girls up to get dressed and brush their teeth. 

“You okay here with the girls, and sleeping beauty,” Gibbs asked as he hitched his thumb in the direction of the living room. “I need to run to the food store to pick up a few things.”

“I think I can handle them,” Jack snorted as she flicked him with the dish towel in her hand.

Gibbs took a quick shower, dressed and left to head to the store. Jack sent the girls outside to play. She wandered into the living room to check on Tony. He was stirring a little, probably the result of the girls running down the stairs a few minutes earlier.

“Hey,” he muttered as he pushed the blanket back to sit up. He made a half hearted attempt to do something with his hair and wipe away the drool he was pretty sure was on his face. 

Jack pressed her hand to his forehead. He was relatively cool. “You’re not warm but you look like crap,” Jack said as she sat down on the coffee table and reached to pat his foot.

“Then I look like I feel. What time is it?” he asked.

“Almost 9:00. The girls are outside and Jethro ran to the store. I just finished the coffee, want me to put on another pot?”

“Uh, no, maybe not,” Tony muttered when he realized his stomach wasn’t exactly settled.

“Tea?” Jack offered as she realized he had a slightly green look about him.

“Yeah, better choice. I’ll be right down,” he said as he turned to go up the stairs to take his pills and use the Brio inhaler.

Jack turned the stove on under the kettle and checked the cake. 

“So what’s up?” Jack asked as she placed a mug of hot water and the small basket of tea bags on the table in front of Tony.

“Didn’t get much sleep. Headache. Woke up in the middle of the night and made the mistake of opening my email in the wee hours of the morning.”

“Ziva?” Jack guessed. Tony just nodded. “You want to try some pancakes, I managed to rescue you a plate,’ she offered, giving Tony a chance to change the subject away from Ziva.

“Yeah, I should try to get something down,” Tony agreed as he picked up the sports page.

“You know, if you’re not up to having people over later, just say the word,” Jack said as she handed him the plate of pancakes and a fork. “You want syrup?”

“No, butter is fine,” Tony said. “And I can’t cancel, Tali’s too excited about seeing the twins. They’ll entertain themselves and I know I don’t have to play formal host to Tim, Delilah and Jimmy. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but take it easy this morning,” Jack suggested. “You want to talk about the email?” she asked, not really expecting an answer. Tony opened up his laptop and pulled up the email, turning it so she could read it. “Ah,” Jack said simply after reading it quickly.

“That’s all you have to say?” Tony asked, a little smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

Jack just nodded her head a little. “Not going to touch that with a 10 foot pole. But I am sorry you’re going through it.”

“Thanks. That means a lot,” Tony whispered sincerely.

Tony managed to eat two pancakes and finish his cup of tea before the girls came barreling into the kitchen. They excitedly told him about the plans they had for when Morgan and Johnny came later. 

Gibbs arrived home with the groceries and Tony helped him put them away while Jack and the girls swept the desk and wiped off the table and chairs off a bit. Tony helped Gibbs mix up some cole slaw, shuck the corn and put the chicken in the marinade.

“DiNozzo, go sit down,” Gibbs ordered when he got a good look at Tony leaning against the counter looking like he was doing his best to remain upright. Tony just nodded and shuffled to the living room, curling up in the corner of the couch. 

The back door opened and Jack came in. She put the spray cleaner back under the sink and set the roll of paper towels back on the counter. 

“Tony say anything to you this morning?” Gibbs asked, his concern for his friend coming through loud and clear.

“A little. You should talk to him,” Jack said vaguely with a sad little smile. 

Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What did Ziva do now?” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He went to see if Tony was awake. He was.

“Hey, what’s up?” Tony asked as Gibbs stood by the end of the couch. Gibbs just glanced away from Tony a little, trying to control his own conflicting emotions. “You talked to Jack. Basement?” Gibbs just nodded and the pair headed down the stairs.

“What happened?” Gibbs asked as he turned around the stool and straddled it. Tony sat in his preferred spot, the top step of the lower landing.

“Ziva emailed stating she will likely be out of town when Tali and I get home. She’s going to Israel apparently.”

“Leaving because you’re coming home?” Gibbs asked.

“I don’t think so. Just work, whatever the hell that even means,” Tony sighed. “I’m fine with it but she should think about her daughter.”

“She should. When you made plans to come for a visit, did she have a problem with you bringing Tali along?” Gibbs asked as he absently ran his finger through a little pile of sawdust in front of him.

“Not at all. She knew Tali would have a great time seeing you and meeting all the kids. She’s not oblivious to Tali’s needs or anything, just more focused on her own,” Tony replied. “Ziva did wish me well though, so I suppose that’s something,” he added with a little snort.

  
“Suppose so,” Gibbs said, not exactly sounding very convincing. “You wanna talk about it,” he asked, cringing a little that he even asked.

“Not particularly,” Tony said with a grin, knowing that was the answer Gibbs had been hoping for. Gibbs just smiled in return as they heard the basement door open and two sets of feet start to come down the stairs.

Gibbs set the girls up with hammers and sandpaper while he worked on fixing the rocker from the front porch. Tony took the opportunity to head back upstairs and take a quick shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are nearing the end of this ride. I've had a blast writing it, especially the kids.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and encouraging comments.
> 
> I have the next story in my Jack/Gibbs series, Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life, half written. It's a post ep to Arizona and based on the very short scene in this story where Gibbs admits to Tony that things between him and Jack almost went much further than they had planned the day he returned from Hawaii. It's one of the stories which basically wrote itself.


	15. Chapter 15

Tali and Victoria ran around the front yard waiting for the twins to arrive. Tony stepped out to check on them as his phone vibrated in his pocket.

_BP-Haven’t checked in for a few days. You doing okay?_

_AD-Friday afternoon and Saturday were pretty good. Little off today. Didn’t sleep well, headache and not interested in food. No fever though._

_BP-Breathing better? No chest pain?_

_AD-breathing is pretty good and no chest pain. A little coughing. I think I’ve just been running around for a week straight and I’m not used to it._

_BP-probably, I wouldn’t worry too much. You have reservations to go home?_

_AD-Tuesday morning_

_BP-you want to come by the office tomorrow morning? I actually don’t have any patients scheduled but I can meet you there._

_AD-yeah I will. I’ll bring Tali so you can say hi._

_BP-great, Matthew doesn’t have camp, I’ll bring him. About 10?_

_AD-sound good._

_BP-text it you need anything_

_AD-I will. Good night_

Tony slipped his phone back in his pocket and watched the girls run around.

Jimmy got to the house first. Victoria gave him a quick hug before running back to play with Tali. Breena was out of town for the weekend visiting a college friend so Jimmy had enjoyed a quiet 2 days all to himself.

At 2:00 Tim and Delilah arrived and the four little ones were running around before Delilah even wheeled herself around the house to the backyard. Tim and Gibbs lifted her wheelchair onto the deck, with Gibbs once again realizing he should build a ramp for her. His team and their families were spending more time at his house in a social setting, in most part thanks to Jack and he wanted everyone to feel comfortable.

“Sweetie, you want to sit in the lounge chair?” Tim asked Delilah as she locked the wheels of her chair.

“Lounge chair sounds good,” Delilah replied. Tim got her settled with a drink and some snacks. She watched the kids run around for a little while before Jack stretched out in the chair next to her, leaving the guys to handle things in the kitchen. They gossiped a little and enjoyed their drinks.

Johnny ran over to his mom in tears, having tripped on the sidewalk, skinning his knee. Delilah started to yell for Tim but Jack assured her she could handle it. She took Johnny into the bathroom and got him cleaned up, complete with a Toy Story band-aid and a kiss to his little knee. He ran back outside and curled up with Delilah, excitedly showing her his special band-aid.

“Toy Story?” Delilah asked with a little laugh.

“From Finn I’m sure,” Jack explained.

“Do you hear from him?” Delilah asked.

“We do. Finn and I text. He and Jethro actually talk on the phone about once a week.”

“That’s nice. The twins mention him once in a while. They have quite the memory for not quite three year olds.”

“Yeah, Finn sure made an impression on all of us,” Jack agreed.

Gibbs came out to start the grill for the chicken and the corn on the cob. Jack went in to try and help out.

Half an hour later they were all digging into the meal the guys had prepared. The kids were at their own little picnic table, in their glory.

Tony made a half hearted attempt to eat something but eventually just pushed his plate away. 

“You okay?” Jack asked as she leaned towards him as casually as she could.

“Yeah, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he stood up. Gibbs shot him a worried look and started to stand but Jack’s hand on his arm kept him where he was.

“He okay?” Tim asked.

“Little off today. I think he’s just been running for over a week and it’s catching up with him,” Jack explained. “Give him a little space.”

Everyone went back to eating. The kids finished first and went back to running around the yard. Jack found the bubbles she’d gotten for them and they were content to keep themselves busy.

Tim and Gibbs got up to clear away the dishes and to check on Tony. Gibbs headed for the kitchen while Tim went to find where Tony had ended up.

“Hey, everything okay?” Tim asked when he found Tony leaning against the back of the couch, looking out the front window.

“Not really,” Tony admitted as he glanced over his shoulder.

“Need anything?” Tim asked as he crossed the room ending up leaning against the windowsill, facing his friend.

“I don’t know what the hell I need right now,” Tony muttered. 

Tony’s admission led Tim to realize it wasn’t just something physical, there was more to it, and that meant one thing…Ziva. But Tim wasn’t going to push Tony to talk, it wasn’t the time or the place. Tim watched as Tony took a few deep shaking breaths. He honestly didn’t know what to do to help. Jack stuck her head in the living room, glancing at Tim who just shrugged his shoulders.

“Why don’t I just help Gibbs in the kitchen,” Tim muttered.

“Thanks for checking on me McGee,” Tony said quietly without turning around.

“No problem,” Tim replied as he headed for the kitchen. Jack patted his shoulder as he walked by.

Jack came into the room and balanced herself on the back of the couch next to Tony. She put her hand on his back and could tell he was shaking and trying to control his breathing. “Breath with me,” she whispered. Tony nodded. He pulled off his glasses and followed her lead for a minute or two, until he felt just a bit more in control. “Did you take anything?”

“No. I think I will. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” he said, gesturing towards the stairs. Jack slid off the couch and stood in front of him for a second, deciding if letting him navigate the stairs was a good idea. “I’ll be fine,” Tony assured her as put his glasses back on.

Tony took some Vistaril and used the bathroom before rejoining the group. He blew bubbles for the kids and helped Jack serve the cake. The kids begged Gibbs to build a fire, even though the night wasn’t the least bit chilly. Not being able to say no to them, he got it started while Jack went inside to grab the bag of marshmallows. The adults each paired off with a child to lessen the chances of any accidents. Jimmy helped Victoria, Tim was with Morgan, Tony had Johnny and Gibbs was paired up with Tali. Jack and Delilah stayed at the table catching up and watching from a distance.

By 8:00 the girls were still going strong, hyped up on sugar from cake and marshmallows. Jack and Delilah had moved down by the fire. Tony was stretched out on a lounge chair half asleep, while Gibbs, Jimmy and Tim sat at the table with a bottle of bourbon. Johnny was starting to get tired and climbed up on Tony’s lap, ending up with his head on Tony’s shoulder and slightly sticky hand on Tony’s neck. Tim snapped a quick picture before giving a 15 minute warning to the rest of the kids. His warning was met with a few groans but the girls did clean up the yard and carry some things into the house, or at least the older two did. Morgan ended up in her Dad’s lap. 

Tim and Delilah were on the road home 20 minutes later. Tony promised to stop by NCIS the next afternoon so he just said his “goodbyes” to Delilah and the twins, he would see Tim again before he left.

Jimmy and Tony told Tali and Victoria to go upstairs and pack Victoria’s things. When they brought everything down Tony sent them out to the front porch so they could say their goodbyes. Jimmy and Tony watched from the front window as they sat on the top step, arms around each other, heads bent together as they cried.

Jimmy bid everyone goodnight and picked up Victoria and her backpack to head to the car. Tony went out to sit with Tali who was still a little teary. They sat together on the wicker chair in the corner of the porch. Tony rubbed her back until she calmed down. She was almost asleep when Gibbs poked his head out to check on them. He came over to the pair, running his hand gently over Tali’s curls before pulled up the other chair and sitting for a minute. 

“Feeling better?” he asked Tony as he stretched, long legs out in front of him, arms over his head

“Yeah, a little.”

“I know you want to get back to Paris but are you sure you’re ready?”

Tony looked down at Tali to make sure she was asleep before answering. “Yeah, I’m perfectly fine being a single father, used to it,” Tony whispered.

“Okay,” Gibbs said in the tone he used when he didn’t quite believe the person he was talking to, but wasn’t going to press the issue. It was one he used thousands of times on suspects. Tony just nodded a little, happy he was not going to pressed. “Want me to take her inside?” Gibbs offered.

“Yeah,” Tony said when she realized she curled up in a way that would not make it easy for him to get to his feet.

“Take your time,” Gibbs said as he lifted the little girl from Tony’s lap. Jack had appeared in time to hold the door open.

“Thanks,” Tony said as he stretched out his legs in front of him.

“You okay with company?” Jack asked as she stood in the doorway.

“Of course. Thanks for earlier. I was doing my best not to completely unravel, pill helped.”

“Good,” Jack smiled as she hopped up to sit on the porch railing, swinging her feet out in front of her a little. “Hope Victoria calmed down in the car.”

“Me too, or it was a rather loud ride home for Jimmy,” Tony chuckled.

“Plans for tomorrow?” Jack asked.

“Tali and I are going to take a drive over to see Brad one last time. I don’t think he’s really worried about anything but wants to check me out one last time. I’m okay with that. We’ll stop by NCIS in the afternoon to see everyone and say goodbye. I want to take you and Jethro out for dinner, nothing fancy cause we’ll have a 6 year old with us who may be a little out of sorts.”

“Sounds perfect, thanks,” Jack agreed. “Gibbs and I will take you two to the airport.”

“You don’t need to do that, Uber is fine.”

“No sense arguing,” Gibbs announced from the doorway. 

“Then I won’t,” Tony said with a laugh.

Gibbs came out and sat on the railing next to Jack, threw an arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple. Tony just smiled at the pair as he pushed himself to his feet.

“You two need to get your act together,” he muttered under his breath as he headed inside. Like Tali earlier, his voice wasn’t quite as quiet as he’d thought. Both Jack and Gibbs chuckled a little as they watched him head inside.

***********

Tony went upstairs to take a quick shower in the hopes of relaxing a bit more. Gibbs and Jack finished up in the kitchen and then she went out to make sure the fire was out. She roasted one last marshmallow before dousing the fire with water. 

When she got back inside Gibbs was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop. Jack leaned over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. Gibbs tipped his head back to look her in the eye. Jack just smiled and nodded before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“You staying tonight?” Gibbs asked as he turned his attention back to the screen.

“I think I’m going to head home,” she replied. “I don’t have any clothes here for tomorrow. Oh, Tony’s taking us out to dinner tomorrow night. And he’s going to check in with Brad in the morning, one last time.”

“Sounds good. Give me a few minutes to finish up here and I’ll walk you out,” he said as he reached to pull his wallet out of his pocket, tossing it on the table next to his laptop.

Although she was perfectly capable of walking the 20 feet from the front door to her car, Jack smiled at the offer. Gibbs really was quite the gentleman, most of the time at least. 

************

Gibbs settled down on the couch with a book and a cup of tea after walking Jack to her car. Tony was still upstairs and he was beginning to think he’d just gone to bed. The creaking of the stairs told him otherwise a few minutes into his reading. 

“Hey, Jack head home?” Tony asked as he flopped on the couch with a sigh.

“Yep, something about not having clothes here for work,” Gibbs muttered, not looking up from his reading. “Jack said you’re going to see Brad in the morning?”

“Yeah, one last check up for old times’ sake. I’ll just take Tali with me. Let me know how things are going at the office. Hopefully I can stop by and catch most of the team.”

“Sounds good. I was going to grab a snack, you hungry?” Gibbs asked as he set aside his book and glasses.

“Nah, I think I’ll try to get some sleep. Goodnight Jethro,” Tony said as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Night, Tony.”

As he settled down in bed, Tony realized sleep wasn’t going to come quite as soon as he had hoped. He put his glasses back on read for a little while. Just before 11:00 Tali wandered in clutching her dog and sniffling a little.

“Hey sweetie,” Tony said as he tossed aside the book. He pushed the covers back on the other side of the bed and the little girl crawled in, snuggling against his side. She didn’t say much. Tony rubbed her back until she fell back to sleep. He maneuvered her onto the other pillow and turned out the light.


	16. Chapter 16

Tali was as usual, up with the sun and with Gibbs. He made her some cinnamon toast and chocolate milk while he waited for the coffee to brew. She read him a book and talked about how sad she was to say goodbye to Victoria.

“You’ll see each other again,” Gibbs said as poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down across from her.

“Not soon,” Tali replied sadly.

“True, I’m sure if won’t be soon. But you can Skype with her, just like you and Daddy do with me and Jack.”

“And Ima,” Tali corrected him.

“And Ima,” Gibbs said softly as he turned his attention towards his breakfast. The last thing he wanted was for Tali to pick up on any feelings he was currently having towards Ziva.

Gibbs left for work a little before 7:00. Tony was still sleeping and Tali was curled up on the couch watching The Lion King remake on her iPad.

“Hey Tali,” Tony said as he padded down the stairs about 15 minutes after Gibbs had left for work. “Uncle Gibbs leave already?”

“Yeah. We ate breakfast. He said to tell you there’s coffee left,” Tali said as she paused the movie.

“Come with me for a minute,” Tony said as he headed for the kitchen. “I have to go see Dr. Brad this morning. You can come with me. He’s bringing his son Matthew so you two can hangout while I get checked out.”

“How old is he?” Tali asked.

“I think he’s 5. Why don’t you bring a coloring book and some crayons.”

“Can I take my iPad?” she asked as she grabbed a juice box out of the fridge.

“No, I don’t think you need anything that plugs in. You’ll have plenty of time to play on it tomorrow on the flight home.”

“Okay,” Tali agreed. “I’m going to get dressed,” she announced as she ran up the stairs. Tony watched her go with a little smile.

************

“Tony, that you?” Brad called from behind the reception desk where he was fighting with the copier.

“Yep,” Tony yelled.

“Hey you’re only looking slightly like crap so that’s progress,” Brad teased as he caught a good look at his patient. 

“Your sympathy is overwhelming. You need help?” Tony smirked taking in the sight of Brad standing there with toner covered hands and a frustrated look.

“Uh yeah,” Brad snorted. “Hey, you must be Tali,” he said smiling at her as she stood, half hiding behind Tony. She just nodded and took a step towards him. “Matt, come on out and say hi,” Brad called in the direction of his private office.

Ten minutes later the kids were coloring in an empty exam room and the copier was running smoothly. Tony and Brad washed their hands and went into the other exam room.

“Thanks for the help,” Brad said.

“No problem,” Tony replied as he took a seat on the exam table. 

“You look tired,” Brad pointed out, without a trace of teasing.

“I am. I’ve done more this past week than I have in months. I think that’s all there is to it,” Tony explained, hoping his words would be sufficient. 

“Throat and chest are doing okay?” Brad asked.

“Yeah better. Appetite still comes and goes but that’s been normal for a while. Making sure I drink enough to keep myself out of trouble,” Tony explained. “Coughing is better but I still feel like I’m too aware of what I’m doing to keep from coughing, if that makes sense.”

“Well, interesting sentence structure, but I can translate,” Brad teased. “It’s going to be a long flight home. You in a position to take it easy for a few days when you get back.”

“Uh, yeah,” Tony said quickly. Brad just looked at him with raised eyebrows, questioning his quick answer. “I’ll likely be a single parent for a few weeks and no I don’t want to talk about it right now. But I don’t plan on taking on too many consulting gigs for the next few weeks.”

“Good, well, the taking it easy part, not the single parent part. But I will respect your wishes and not press you to talk. You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

“I do, thanks,” Tony said as he Brad pulled the stethoscope from around his neck.

Tony pulled his shirt tails out of his shorts and unbuttoned it. Brad took a quick listen at his heart and lungs before checking his pulse, blood pressure and pulse ox. The first two in the high normal range, the last on the lower end of acceptable.

“Acceptable but let’s keep an eye on your blood pressure. You do have a primary doc in Paris, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to give you a copy of your records to take with you,” Brad said as he set aside the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. “And I suggest a pulse oximeter at home. Don’t go nuts checking your levels Once in a while is good when you’re feeling fine and obviously check it a little more often when you’re not doing so well.”

Brad had Tony repeat the spirometry test he’d done a week earlier. While they waited for the meds to kick in Brad went out and made a copy of some of the records for Tony to take with him and jot down the info for Bethesda’s online medical record service in case his doctor needed more results or information. He checked on the kids who were coloring quietly.

When Brad declared the physical exam over, Tony buttoned his shirt back up and started to slide off he exam table when Brad motioned for him to just sit still for a minute.

“Just promise me you’ll take care of all areas of your well-being, okay?” Brad said with a pointed look. Tony just nodded. “Okay, you are free to go, Buckeye,” Brad said as he scooted his stool back, giving Tony room to slide off the exam table.

Brad walked Tony and Tali to the door.

“Thanks, for everything. The care, the time and for not making fun of me for basically flying across an ocean for a new inhaler,” Tony said with a smirk.

“You are welcome,” Brad replied with a chuckle.

Tony pulled Brad into a quick hug and a pat on the back. Tali hugged Brad and her new friend, Matthew. With a promise to keep in touch, the two men shook hands one more time before Tony and Tali headed for the elevator.

****************

“Where are we going now?” Tali asked as they stepped off the elevator hand in hand. 

“Back to Uncle Gibbs’ house so we can start to pack up our things. We’ll try to go to NCIS this afternoon so we can tell everyone goodbye. And tonight we’re going out to dinner with Jack and Uncle Gibbs. All that sound good?” Tony asked as he clicked the locks and opened the car door for Tali to climb into the booster seat.

“Sounds perfect,” Tali answered in a very serious voice for a little girl.

“Are you hungry?” Tony asked as the crossed the Potomac and entered Virginia.

“We can go out to lunch and dinner?” Tali asked excitedly.

“I think we can today. It is time you experienced Beltway Burger,” Tony said with a laugh.

By the time Tali was halfway done her lunch, she was a fan of Beltway Burger. Like her father, she particularly liked the chocolate shake.

After lunch they headed back to the house to pack up a little. Tony threw in a load of laundry, while Tali packed up her own backpack. She was able to pack most of the gifts she’d gotten over the visit, in the end she left behind the bubbles from Kasie and the sidewalk chalk from Jack. Tony plugged the iPad in to charge and he made sure he downloaded a few new movies for Tali to watch on the flight. A quick look in the pantry and he realized he needed to stop by the store to pick up some kid friendly, plane appropriate snacks before the day was over. 

As he was rearranging some things in his own backpack, making sure their passports were in an easily accessible pocket and his rescue inhaler in the front pocket, Tony’s text alert chimed.

_TM-How did you the appointment go? Feeling okay today._

_AD-I feel okay, nothing more than that, but I’ll live. I think the appointment was a formality more than anything. It was fine. You guys in the office?_

_TM-got in from the field a little while ago so we should be here for the next few hours. You stopping by?_

_AD-yeah, no way Tali would get on a plane without stopping by the Navy Yard to see people one last time._

_TM-then we’ll see you in a bit._

“Okay Tali, wrap it up,” Tony called across the hallway. “Everyone at NCIS is waiting for us.”

“I’m ready,” she announced as she came into Gibbs’ room. She’s changed out of the pink shirt which was currently in the washer after an unfortunate run in with a ketchup packet. She was wearing the Pearl Harbor t-shirt Gibbs had gotten for her when he visited Hawaii back in the Spring.

On the ride through the city Tali pointed out her newly discovered sights, the Potomac, the monuments and museums. She chatted the whole time. Tony glanced at her in the rearview mirror, a broad smile of pride coming across his face.

“So Tali I have to talk to you about something,” Tony said as he caught her eye at the next traffic light.

“About what?” she asked as she looked out the window.

“When we get home Ima might not be there.”

“Is she working?” Tali asked. It wasn’t all that unusual for Ziva to not be around.

“Yes.”

“That’s okay, I’m used to it just being you and me. You know, like it was before.”

“Yeah, I know Tali, I know,” Tony whispered. He simultaneously smiled at the resilience of his child and swore under his breath at Ziva.

***************

McGee met the two of them at security to make it easier for them to get in the building. Tali proudly put her ID badge around her neck and took Tim by the hand.

The team, minus Gibbs, were all in the bullpen working away. Jack was sitting in Gibbs’ chair looking at something on his computer while Ellie and Nick were huddled at the plasma, where Tim joined them. Tali went to sit on Jack’s lap while Tony leaned against the front of Nick’s desk.

“Where Gibbs?” he asked Jack.

“Up with Vance I think. Been up there a while,” she muttered as she opened one of his desk drawers to show Tali where he hid his stash of chocolate. 

“A while, what did he do now?” Tony teased.

“Nothing, DiNozzo,” Gibbs called from the catwalk. Vance gave a wave to Tali who waved back as she popped a Hershey kiss in her mouth. Gibbs came back down the stairs to join the team at the plasma screen.

When Tim decided they were just about to make a breakthrough on the case, Tony took Tali down to autopsy to say goodbye to Jimmy.

After a quick goodbye, as there was a body out on the table, the pair made their way to Ducky’s office. He’d worked for a while in the morning and was enjoying a cup of tea while he waited for his chance to see Tony and Tali one last time. 

“Well, I hope you at least got some of the answers you were looking for, Anthony,” Ducky said as he stood up.

“I think I did. And even if I didn’t I feel better about coming and we’ve certainly had a great week. Thank you for everything, your support, medical care and for making Tali feel at home,” Tony said as he reached for Ducky’s hand.

“You are more than welcome Anthony,” Ducky declared as he patted Tony’s shoulder before turning his attention towards Tali. “And you little Miss, you must keep in touch. I love to get mail, real mail from the post office.”

“But we can Skype too?” Tali asked as she wrapped her arms around Ducky, kissing his cheek.

“Yeah, my dear girl, we can Skype too,” Ducky assured her.

Kasie was out of the building that afternoon so Tony jotted down a quick note for her and left in on her counter.

Tony and Tali said goodbye to Ellie and Nick in the bullpen with Tony whispering, “tell him how you feel,” in Ellie’s ear. She smiled and kissed Tony’s cheek before giving Tali a quick hug. Nick bid them both goodbye before going down to see Jimmy. 

“Tali, why don’t you hang with Uncle Gibbs and Jack for a minute while I talk to Uncle Tim,” Tony said.

“Sure,” she said, climbing into Gibbs’ lap and reaching for another Kiss.

“How did you find them?” he teased.

“Jack showed me where they are,” Tali grinned.

Tony motioned for Tim to follow him to their preferred private conversation spot, under the stairs.

“Just like old times,” Tim said as he leaned against the wall.

“Yeah, just like old times,” Tony said wistfully. “Look thanks for everything. Hanging out with us, making Tali feel like one of the group. She’ll be talking about this trip for a year, maybe more.”

“It was my pleasure Tony. It was a great week. Just sorry there’s this underlying current of confusion and unanswered questions, health wise and well, otherwise,” Tim said quietly.

“Yeah. That seems to be my life now. But Tali and I will get through it. By the way, you should probably know how proud I am of you and the Senior Field Agent you’ve become,” Tony said sincerely.

“But…” Tim said, figuring there was something more or at least a McNickname coming.

“But nothing,” Tony said as he pulled Tim into a big hug and pat on the back.

“Keep in touch, let me know how things are working out, all things,” Tim said as they headed back to the others.

Tim picked up Tali and gave her a big hug and kiss. Bishop pulled out her phone and they all crowded in for one last selfie together.

“I’m going to make a quick stop at the store for some snacks and stuff for the plane. Meet you back home about 5:30,” Tony said to Jack and Gibbs.

“Perfect. I’m going to head out in a few too, I have a few errands to do to,” Gibbs said as he sat back down at his desk to shut down for the night. Tony and Tali headed for the elevator.

“Bye NCIS,” Tali called over her shoulder as the elevator doors slid closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end is around the corner. 
> 
> The last chapter is actually done, it was finished about a week after I started this story. I always knew how I wanted to end things. Apparently it just took me 40,000 words and two months to get there.
> 
> Thanks as always for the kudos and comments.


	17. Chapter 17

Tony and Tali stopped by the food store to pick up some snacks for the plane. They picked up granola bars, peanut butter crackers, raisins and at Tali’s insistence, a bag of Hershey Kisses.

They arrived back at the house a little before 5:00. Jack and Gibbs were already home. She was on the phone in the kitchen and Gibbs was up in his room changing for dinner. Tony sent Tali up to get changed into the dress he’d left out on the bed for her.

“Where are we going?” Jack asked as she slipped her phone back in her pocket.

“Well, Tali’s a little cranky so I’m thinking a nice dinner with crystal and china isn’t the best idea.”

“And you think crystal and china is ever Gibbs’ choice in a restaurant?”

“Yeah, probably not. How about Tupelo Honey? Close by, kid’s menu and good food.”

“And nice beer selection,” Gibbs added as he came into the room buckling his belt. He sat down at the table and slipped his shoes on as Tali came bounding down the stairs in a little striped dress and pink Chuck Taylor sneakers. “Hey, I have those sneakers too,” Gibbs teased.

“Pink ones?” Tali asked, eyes wide.

“Well, not quite the same, mine are black,” Gibbs clarified.

They headed out to the car, Jack and Tali climbing into the back.

************

Luckily the restaurant wasn’t too busy and there were seated rather quickly. They slipped into a booth, Tali sitting next to Jack and across from Gibbs.

“Want to play Tic Tac Toe?” Tali asked as she looked at the placemat and then opened up the little box of crayons the waitress had given her.

“Decide what you want to eat first,” Tony said as he slipped the menu in front of her.

Tali took a quick look at it the menu. “Can I have French Toast for dinner?”

“Sure, why not. You already had Beltway Burger for lunch, what’s French Toast for dinner?” Tony teased.

“Chocolate milk?” Tali asked hopefully.

“Sure.”

Dinner was a bit lively, food and drinks flowed freely. Even Gibbs was chatty. Tali devoured her meal and an extra biscuit. She even beat Jack at Tic Tac Toe once.

As the waitress was clearing away their dinner plates, Tali was fading fast. She curled up on the bench, snuggling against Jack’s side. The adults weren’t quite ready to end the night, so they ordered another round of drinks and some desserts, Heavenly Banana Pudding and Brown Butter Pecan Pie to share.

“To friends,” Tony said as they held up their glasses to each other.

“To family,” Gibbs corrected.

Tali stirred as the desserts were set down on the table.

“Oh, dessert,” she said as she sat up, suddenly wide awake.

“Oh, she is your kid, DiNozzo,” Gibbs teased as he handed Tali a spoon and a napkin. She ate a little of each and then helped herself to the maraschino cherries Tony had removed from his drink and set on a napkin.

Eventually Tony and Gibbs starting yawning, signally the end of the meal. Both Gibbs and Tony reached for the check, with Tony winning out. While he signed the receipt Gibbs picked Tali up to carry her out to the car. She was asleep before they even got out of the parking lot.

When they got back to the house Tony tucked Tali into bed. He took a quick shower so he wouldn’t have to do it in the morning and pulled on his pajamas before going back downstairs. Jack was sitting in the living room flicking through the TV channels. 

“He’s down in the basement on the phone with Tim. I think there was a breakthrough in the case,” Jack said, answering Tony’s unasked question as he headed for the kitchen.

Tony grabbed a can of ginger ale and flopped down on the couch.

“Too much food?” Jack teased, pointing at his choice of beverage.

“Way too much,” Tony smirked.

“Jethro and I will both drop you two off tomorrow,” Jack said, in a tone that left no room for arguing by Tony. So he didn’t even bother trying.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Tony sighed as he stretched out, feet on the coffee table. “Thank you doesn’t seem sufficient,” he said quietly.

Jack muted the television and moved to sit cross legged next to Tony.

“It is sufficient. You know who I hang out with, I don’t look for verbose declarations of anything,” Jack snorted as she reached to give his hand a squeeze.

“True. But he is chattier than he’s ever been. And that’s all you. You’re good for each other. And wherever this thing between you two goes, or doesn’t go, I want nothing more than for both of you to be happy.” Tony whispered. 

“Thank you,” Jack whispered as she put her head on Tony’s shoulder.

“Is it just me or do you feel like we’ve known each other forever?” Tony asked as he put his arm around Jack and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“It’s not just you. I am so glad you came to visit and I will cherish this time I’ve spent with you and Tali forever. She is an awesome kid and you should be proud. She is resilient and that is a reflection on you. If you ever need anything, advice or just someone to listen, you know where to find me.”

Tony just nodded, not trusting his voice. He took a deep breath to try and center himself but of course that ended in a string of coughs. He sat up and reached for his soda as Jack rubbed his back a little. 

“Okay?” Jack asked as he seemed to catch his breath.

“Yeah,” Tony whispered as he heard Gibbs coming up the stairs.

“I will leave the two of you to talk,” Jack said as she stood up. She pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s head.

“Thanks,” Gibbs whispered as he caught Jack’s hand as she walked past. He gave it a quick squeeze and let his fingers trail along hers until she was out of reach. She got herself a bottle of water and headed into the guest room with her book.

Gibbs grabbed the bottle of bourbon and two glasses from the kitchen before taking a seat on the couch. He poured two glasses, handing one to Tony. They tapped their glasses before taking a sip.

“We’re not going to have a mushy conversation now, are we?” Gibbs asked.

“God no,” Tony assured him. “That’s not us.”

“Good. You know how I feel, and I think I know how you feel,” Gibbs said simply.

“So, we don’t have to say any of it?” Tony asked hopefully.

“Not unless you want this to get messy,” Gibbs snorted. “And it would be messy,” he whispered, more to himself than to Tony.

“Yeah, it would be,” Tony agreed as he drained his glass and poured a little bit more for both of them. He swirled the amber liquid around in his glass for a few seconds before taking another sip. 

“Remember what I said a few days ago,” Gibbs said. Tony just looked at him. Gibbs had said lots of things in the past few days. “That you came first, in my eyes whatever happens, you win,” Gibbs chuckled.

“Yeah, I remember. I finally told Tali that Ziva might not be home when we get there.”

“What did she say?” Gibbs asked as he kicked off his shoes and stretched out, feet in the corner of the couch.

“Not much. That it would be okay, that she’s used to it and that it’ll be like it was before, just the two of us,” Tony sighed as he too stretched out, feet in the corner of the couch. He drained his glass and set it on the table, declining Gibbs’ offer of a refill. “I just wish everyday didn’t seem so long.”

“I hear ya there,” Gibbs agreed as he wiped a hand over his face.

“Can we tell Jack we had a deep, heartfelt conversation?” Tony mused.

“You can try, she knows when I’m lying,” Gibbs snorted as he put his hands behind his head. “We had a good week. Thanks for bringing Tali. She’s a remarkable little girl.”

“That she is,” Tony agreed as he rubbed at his eyes. “She’s had the time of her life. I’m afraid Paris is going to look a little boring to her when we get back. She’s already asking when Victoria can come to France.”

“Yeah, you’re going to have your hands full when she gets older,” Gibbs snorted.

“Looking forward to it,” Tony said softly. 

“You need anything?” Gibbs asked as he pushed himself up to sitting and leaned over to pick up their glasses and the nearly empty bottle. 

“Water, if you don’t mind,” Tony answered as he pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and settled it over his legs. 

“I think I can handle that,” Gibbs teased. His phone rang as he walked into the kitchen, it was Tim giving a quick update on some results Kasie had just gotten back. Gibbs thanked him for the information and told him to go home for the night.

By the time Gibbs returned to the living room, Tony was asleep. It wasn’t really late, a little after 10:00 but it had been a long day. Gibbs sat down on the coffee table for a minute. He wasn’t much for religion, but he did send up a little prayer that Tony would find peace.

With knees cracking his pushed himself to his feet. He pulled Tony’s glasses off and set them on the coffee table. With one final glance over his shoulder he turned off the light in the corner of the room before heading down the hall to brush his teeth

Jack was reading when he entered the guest room. She pulled off her glasses and set them aside as he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt before crawling into bed. Jack barely had time to put aside her book and turn out the light before Gibbs had all but wrapped himself around her, holding on tight.

“You want to talk about it?” she asked as she brushed back his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. She just felt him shake his head against her shoulder, giving her the expected answer. “Okay, I’m here if you change your mind,” she whispered as she pulled the blanket over both of them.

Jack rubbed his back until she felt him relax into sleep. She eventually nudged him enough to get him to roll over onto his side of the bed. Sleep didn’t come quite so quickly to her and at midnight she was still awake.

The sounds of Tony walking around and then dropping something in the kitchen got her out of bed.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked as she stuck her head in the kitchen. Tony was standing and looking out the back door.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said, pointing to the bottle of Gatorade in his hand, the source of the thud she’d just heard.

“Have you gotten any sleep?” she asked as she got herself a glass of water.

“Hour or so, I suppose,” Tony muttered as he hopped up to sit on the counter, his long preferred place to sit in Gibbs’ kitchen.

“Still early enough, you could take something,” Jack said, glancing at the clock on the microwave and doing a little calculating in her head.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, using a tone which didn’t quite reassure Jack.

Jack absently opened the pantry cabinet and hunted around, for what, she had no idea. “Oreo?” she offered Tony as she held up the package.

“Sure,” he answered with a laugh. He took the two cookies she offered him, declining the milk she offered next.

“I didn’t really ask, how was the appointment with Brad?” Jacks asked.

“It was fine. More of formality I think, one last chance to check in. Glad I went and I appreciated the fact he wanted to see me one last time. And Tali got to meet yet another new friend, his 5 year old Matthew,” Tony smiled.

“She’s had a whirlwind trip,” Jack said as she returned the package of cookies to the cabinet and rinsed the crumbs off her fingers. 

“I think this will be her favorite trip for a very long time, and we’ve been all over Europe,” Tony chuckled. “It was great for all the kids to meet each other instead of just seeing each other over a computer screen. Tali and Victoria have already made plans to use Messenger Kids. I’m sure she’ll be begging for a cell phone within a year. And that’s not happening,” Tony said as he stifled back a yawn. He slid off the counter, drained the bottle of Gatorade and tossed it in the recycle bin, cringing at the sound of it echoing in the small kitchen.

“You going to try and sleep?” Jack asked as she turned off the light and followed him out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m going to take something,” Tony said as he headed for the stairs.

“Sleep well,” Jack said quietly as she watched him haul himself up the steps.

Tony peeked into the little bedroom to check on Tali. The blankets were bunched at the end of the bed which was empty. The light was off in the bathroom so he gently pushed the door to Gibbs’ room open. She was sound asleep, stretched out in the middle of the bed, her long arms and legs seeming to take up most of the bed. With a barely concealed chuckle Tony managed to scoot her over to one side without waking her. He tucked her dog under her arm and pressed a kiss to her forehead before going into the bathroom to take a pill and brush his teeth again after eating Oreos.

He crawled into bed and fell into a restless sleep.

***************

Tali, as usual was up with the sun. She got dressed, packed her dog in her backpack and went downstairs, following the voice of Jack and Gibbs and the smell of coffee. She ate a bowl of cereal and some toast which Jack made for her.

Tony eventually woke up about half an hour later than he had planned. Luckily he had packed most everything and showered the night before. It was just a matter of getting dressed and tossing the few remaining things in his bag. He would just grab coffee and something to eat at the airport.


	18. Chapter 18

“Car’s leaving in 10 minutes DiNozzo,” Gibbs yelled up the stairs.

“Coming,” Tony yelled as he took one last look around Gibbs’ room and the little bedroom“You ready?” he asked Tali who had come up to grab her backpack. She just nodded and followed him down the stairs.

Carrying the suitcase and his own backpack, Tony’s focus was on not tripping down the stairs. As his feet hit the landing, he looked up to see Gibbs standing in the foyer. Dressed in khaki pants, a plaid long sleeved shirt with the usual white t-shirt underneath, black Chuck Taylors and baseball hat, he was clearly not dressed for work. He had his battered canvas backpack slung over his left shoulder, not his black NCIS issued one. By his feet was his duffle bag. He gave Tony a smile that didn’t quite hide the uncertainly he was feeling.

“Boss, what are you doing?” Tony asked as he squinted a little to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing before him.

“Not your boss and I’m doing what we do for family, helping out,” Gibbs explained with a shrug of his shoulders and the patented “aw shucks” look he was known for. 

Tony took a deep breath, trying to hold back the emotion which was about to really show on his face. “Thank you,” he whispered simply. 

“You’re welcome Tony,” Gibbs whispered back with a wink.

“What’s going on?” Tali asked.

“Apparently, Uncle Gibbs is flying to Paris with us,” Tony said as he swiped at his eyes. Jack patted his back as Tali threw herself at Gibbs, wrapping her arms around him.

When they all calmed down a little Tony and Tali carried their bags out to the car. Tony tossed everything in the trunk while trying not to just burst into tears over Gibbs’ very sweet and wholly unxpected gesture.

“You have everything?” Jack asked Gibbs as she grabbed her purse. “Passport, pills, phone charger, toothbrush?”

“Sloane, I’ve been packing for myself for decades,” he snorted as he picked up his duffle.

“Okay then,” Jack said as she gave him a little push out onto the porch, closing and locking the door behind her.

By the time they pulled out of the driveway, Tali was beyond excited, chatting away a mile a minute.

The ride to Dulles was surprisingly quick for that time of morning. Gibbs parked in short term parking so Jack could walk them in. Just short of the security screening the foursome stopped, moving out of the way a little so they could say goodbye. 

Jack knelt down and gave Tali a big hug and kiss. Tali was in tears and to be honest the rest of them weren’t that far behind. Jack stood up and swiped at her eyes before reaching for Tony’s hands.

“Jack, I don’t even know what to say, how to thank you,” Tony whispered as he leaned over to hug her.

“We talked about this last night. You don’t have to say anything, I understand,” Jack said as she pressed her hand over his heart. She kissed him on the cheek one last time, wiping away a little tear threatening to fall from his eye.

“Keep in touch,” Tony said as he took Tali by the hand and headed for security, giving Gibbs and Jack a chance to say their goodbyes.

“Okay cowboy, I will see in 10 days. I expect to hear all about what fun you and Tali had,” Jack said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him softly. 

“I’m sure we will have some fun. Take care of our team,” Gibbs whispered in her ear. 

“Our team?” Jack teased as she put her hands on his hips. Gibbs just nodded and kissed her cheek one last time. He gave her hands a squeeze, letting his right thumb graze over the silver bracelet on wrist, the one he’d brought back from Hawaii. With a smile he hitched his backpack up on his shoulder and headed towards Tony and Tali. She was waving to him and bouncing on the balls of her pink sneaker clad feet, barely able to control her excitement.

Jack waved to all of them one last time. She stood and watched as they disappeared into the crowd of people waiting to make their way through security. She pulled her ringing cell phone out of her pocket as she turned to make her way to the parking deck.

************

Despite leaving a little later than Gibbs had wanted to, they had arrived at the airport in plenty of time for their international flight. Once they cleared security and found their gate, Tony got Tali and Gibbs settled down by the window before he went in search of a bathroom, something to eat and most importantly, a large cup of coffee.

Tali pulled out a book and read for a few minutes. Gibbs just looked around, observing the crowd of people around them. When her book didn’t hold her attention Tali walked over to sit down on the window sill, looking out at the planes. Gibbs flipped through a magazine which had been sitting on the seat next to him. A copy of an entertainment magazine, he tossed it aside in a matter of minutes. He looked up to see Tali watching someone or something over his shoulder. He glanced over to see a couple using sign language to communicate. He waved Tali over to answer her question before she even had a chance to ask it. 

“Uncle Gibbs, what are those people doing?” she asked as she started to point towards them. Gibbs caught her little arm and prevented her from pointing.

“Don’t point,” he said softly.

“Sorry,” Tali replied with a little nod. 

“It’s called sign language, one of them, or maybe both of them are deaf, they can’t hear,” he explained, reaching to touch her ear. “So, that’s how they communicate.”

“How do they know what their hands are saying?” she asked curiously.

“Same way you know what spoken words mean, they learn them.”

“Do you know how to do that?” she asked as Gibbs got her to turn her head a little so she was not so obviously watching the couple.

“I do,” he said. “You want to know how to sign your name?” Tali just nodded, excited to learn something new.

Gibbs had her stand in front of him so she could mirror his motions. As Gibbs expected, she was a quick learner. By the time Tony had returned with two cups of coffee, a bottle of apple juice and a breakfast sandwich, Tali was well on her way to signing her own name.

By the time their flight was called half an hour later, she knew how to finger spell her name and Gibbs’ name, as well as the signs for mother and father. As Tony watched them, he had pulled out her iPad and downloaded a kid’s sign language app so she could learn more. 

“Woodworking, rockets and planes, sign language, s’mores making, the Slip n Slide and little forensic science, you sure learned about some cool stuff during our trip, Tali,” Tony said with a smile. Tali just nodded, taking his hand so they could get in line to board the plane. He handed her the boarding pass, tucked in her passport, as she liked to show it to the gate agent herself.

************

Tali followed Tony down the jetway and onto the plane, with Gibbs following, carrying his backpack and Tali’s flowered one. She had her dog in one hand and the other was tucked into Tony’s hand as they made their way down the aisle, looking for their row.

McGee had been able to find out where Tony and Tali’s seats were on the plane using a little white lie about Tony being a possible suspect in a white collar crime ring. With that knowledge Gibbs was able to grab the third seat in the row. Tony would have preferred 1st class but with only 48 hours’ notice the price was beyond ridiculous, so they ended up in business class.

“Where will you be most comfortable?” Tony asked Gibbs when they got to their row. 

“Aisle, I can put my leg out a little and maybe still be able to walk when the plane lands,” he teased.

“Window or middle seat Tali?” Tony asked as he pulled a couple of items out of his backpack, waiting to see which seat he would be shoving it under.

“Middle seat,” she announced. 

Tony put his backpack under the window seat and slid in. He took Tali’s backpack from her, shoving it under her seat for the moment. She settled down in the middle seat, kicking off her shoes as she did every time she got on a plane. The flight attendant came over and gave her a little set of wings and some fruit snacks.

“Can I have a blanket and a pillow too?” Tali asked, using her best manners.

“A seasoned traveler I see,” the flight attendant smiled in Tony’s direction. He just nodded and turned his attention to his phone so he could send one last text to Ziva, wherever she was.

Tali got settled with her blanket, pillow and her dog as the engines roared to life and the plane backed away from the jetway. Tony reached over to make sure her seatbelt was tight and her shoes were pushed all the way under the seat in front of her. 

Tali reached out to hold hands with both Tony and Gibbs as the plane started down the runway.

***********

The takeoff was fairly smooth and Tony managed to fall sleep quickly, which helped as he hadn’t exactly slept well the night before. Tali watched part of a movie on the iPad and had some snacks. Gibbs alternated between reading and just watching the little girl next to him. 

“You want to work on more sign language,” Gibbs asked when Tali lost interest in what she was watching.

“Sure,” Tali agreed. She opened up the app Tony had downloaded. Gibbs pushed his glasses up a little and took a look at it. He found the alphabet and they started with that.

An hour later Tali had worked through the whole alphabet a few times and learned a few more common signs…please, thank you, yes, no, boy, girl, dog, Aunt and Uncle.

The flight attendant came by with some drinks and snacks, making sure to give extras to Tali. She was one of only a few children on the flight, so she was getting quite spoiled.

About halfway through the flight, Tali curled up with her head on the pillow in Gibbs’ lap and her feet in Tony’s lap. He was sound asleep so he didn’t mind at all. Gibbs set aside his book and put the seat back just a little bit to get more comfortable.

“Uncle Gibbs,” Tali said as she looked up at him.

“What sweetie?” he asked as he spread the blanket over her.

“Thanks for coming home with us. Ima might not be there when we get home. We’re used to it, but it’ll be nice to have someone else there too,” she said with a smile.

“I think it’ll be nice to be there. You can show me around Paris,” Gibbs said, choking up just a little. “And it will give Daddy someone older than 6 to talk to, he might like that,” he teased.

“You’re probably right, Uncle Gibbs,” Tali said as she closed her eyes. “Wake me before we land, I like to watch the plane come out of the clouds,” she added.

“You bet,” Gibbs whispered as he ran his fingers through her curls.

Gibbs watched her for a minute, before turning towards Tony who had woken up at some point and was fighting back tears of his own. He gave Tony a little smile and a dip of his chin, the patented Gibbs gesture that could mean a dozen different things depending on the circumstances, but right then and there it meant…

_I’m proud of you and one way or another, everything will be okay._

Tony reached to pat Gibbs’ arm with a grateful smile of his own. He didn’t know what was yet to come, how things would ultimately work out, but he had faith and family. And for Former Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, those two things were going to be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, it's over.
> 
> It's been great ride with this. I've had more fun writing this story than I have had writing anything in a long, long time. 
> 
> All of the comments and kudos have been greatly appreciated, as always.
> 
> Look for the first chapter of the next story in the Two Lost Souls on the Highway of Life series in the coming days.


End file.
